Rob Massey

Indian Summer

A great debut by an engaging author who writes from experience. There are elements that evoke a sense of Colin MacInnes novel Absolute Beginners, and moments that are like the original tale that Nik Cohn wrote and was later developed into the blockbusting American movie Saturday Night Fever. Yes - Rob Massey has produced a novel that really captures the British urban young man educating himself. It's summertime in England and the flowers are in bloom. But, for a recent college boy like Artie, the prospects are not good. These are the early eighties and there's a collapsing economy and three million unemployed. So what does Artie do? Does he let it put him off his stride? That's not the way he lives his life. The big, bad age of responsibility is on the horizon so he's going to enjoy himself while he can. Forget the negative, concentrate on the music, the clothes, the parties, the other delights out there. There's fun to be had and he's going to find it in the technicolor world of rhythm and soul that emanates from his stereo and beyond. Put on the threads, turn down the lights, turn up the jukebox. Artie's on a voyage of fun and discovery as he loses himself in his very own Indian summer.