Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973 by John Barnes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




This book is a real melting pot of emotions. It reminded me very much of another favourite of mine - Sorta Like a Rock Star - in the way it created such a detailed, sad and often amusing picture of a teenager's life and how it pretty much just sucks a lot of the time.

I like teen problem novels that know how to be funny but still make the desired emotional impact as well. Karl Shoemaker lives with his alcoholic mother who steals his hard-earned money and sometimes even locks him out of the house all night, he's had to live this life ever since his dad died. He works five different jobs, has to put up with over thirty cats that like to do their business in his bedroom, all whilst struggling to cope with his raging teenage hormones (i.e. his constant erection). Due to his screwed up life, he has to attend a therapy group for troubled kids at school, a group which the kids have affectionately named "The Madman Underground".

All the characters are different, interesting, insane, indeed there is no one who escapes insanity in John Barnes' novel. There are some rather gross, shocking and disturbing scenes, upsetting things that happen or almost happen that had me on edge - but this all just adds to the book's unique charm. Plus, even the sad and disgusting stuff tends to have some humour to balance it out.

I really enjoyed Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973 and was pleased with the conclusion and the journey made by Karl's character. It's so refreshing to have such an endearingly honest and funny narrator, it made the novel the perfect combination of serious and entertaining. If only there were more books like this.