The Outgoing Man

Published by Portobello Books on September 15, 2005, and as a paperback on May 11, 2006

Shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award

The Outgoing Man has his instructions and is ready to leave, but nothing is that simple. As he tries to disentangle himself from the 'organisation', he is only drawn further in: caught up in his friend Walter's plans for revolution; distracted by the voluptuous Colubrine; and forced into a steely battle of wills with the man who has suddenly and silently occupied his room...

'A perky greeting card from hell' - Magnus Mills

'A clever left-field debut... surreally witty, it recalls the same European sense of experiment at work in Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco and Magnus Mills...' - The Metro

'We are in a mysterious "organisation" at the Salvador Dali level of reality... This is a little bit like The Prisoner, mixed in with a dash of Are You being Served?' - The Times

'Quirky and blackly satirical, The Outgoing Man emanates a Kafka-esque stench of stagnation and claustrophobia. Neath shows how even the most banal kinds of human interaction take us deep into the realms of the insane, the surreal and the grotesque' - Time Out

'The Outgoing Man, Glen Neath's first novel, is an attempt to do something different. A voice speaks directly to us, telling us to take a seat, checking that we're comfortable, offering us a cup of tea or something stronger... The characters are odd, contradictory and infuriating. The plot lurches in one direction, then another. There is a sense that a game is being played but we do not know the rules...a hint of Kafka, a smidgeon of Beckett, a few drops of Auster...an unusual and original novel' - The Guardian /

'Neath is a promising writer. His nameless narator is a genuine creation. His bewildered, slightly embarrassed account of events, particularly of a cack-handed attempt at seduction, is very cleanly and clearly rendered, and there are some nice surreal turns of phrase... it's enjoyable as a parody of almost every Kafka-Pinter nightmare you've ever read... The fun here is in following the bumbling brain-waves of the speaker.' - The Independent

'Highly original and somewhat dotty' - The Times

'Ultimately, if The Outgoing Man can be said to be truly Kafkaesque it is because it cannot be bullied into any single interpretation. Metamorphosis alone has reputedly produced some 130 different readings. Neath's debut is unlikely to yield so many, but it will surely tantalise and delight those who try to unravel its numerous narrative threads' - Scotland on Sunday

'A chilling tale of comic unease... highly original' - Daily Express

'A refreshingly different, lively story' - The Herald

'His brilliant novel reminded me most of the Prix Goncourt-winning Jean Echenoz. Neath has that same eye for detail, coupled with the ability to analyse the here and now in a parallel fictional reality' - The Bookseller

'It's like being stuck in a lift with a deadpan comedian, waiting for a punchline that never comes. You have to keep going, or you risk losing any grip' - The Independent

Buy from Amazon

Buy from Portobello Books

 

 

 

 

Home