The Death of an Owl - rather spooky in some ways

The Death of an Owl - rather spooky in some ways

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Derek Smith

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45,514 posts

247 months

Tuesday 1st October 2019
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I’ve just finished, The Death of an Owl, by Torday, the bloke who wrote Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

I’ll give you the plot. It relates to the relationship between a spin doctor and an ambitious MP whose only desire is to become PM. Seem familiar? The odd thing is that Torday died in 2013.

The MP is completely unprincipled. When he gets to be the leader of his party his past indiscretions start to come to light and he’s put under a lot of pressure. He continues in post, despite it costing his party credibility. He falls out with his wife.

There is a disconnect. His spin doctor tries to stick to the truth. So nearly prescient.

The book’s a good read although Torday didn’t finish it and there’s a certain change in tone towards the end. Otherwise, and enjoyable read.