Work in Progress is a marvelously funny "behind-the-scenes" story of the fictional Crawley Writers' Group told entirely in emails. Released 24th June 2021, it's 272 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.
This is a genuinely humorous novel which actually surprised me into laughter at several points. It's witty and acerbic and lampoons the archetypal characters so exquisitely that ribbing never shaded over into cruelty and I spent the entire read (in one glorious session) giggling out loud. There's a moneyed diva (with IMDB credits on Midsomer Murders) hosting an ensemble of oddballs, misfits, and an angsty poet. The tagline "They've all got a book in them, unfortunately." sums the whole up pretty succinctly.
I enjoyed this one enormously. The epistolary format suited the book perfectly and was a brilliant choice. It's presented in such a deadpan factual manner that it took me a while to ascertain if it really was fiction or a tie-in to an actual writers' group. For anyone who has ever enjoyed mockumentaries like This Is Spinal Tap or All You Need is Cash this one has a lot to offer. Very funny.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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