Bill Morris. BIOGRAPHY OF A BUICK (Granta, #5.99).
* 1954. Ike's in Washington, Elvis is in Memphis, Joe and Marilyn are
on honeymoon, and the McDonald brothers' hamburger stand in San
Bernardino is doing a roaring trade: the future seems as bright as an
H-bomb glare. But in Detroit, General Motors are worried: worried about
who leaked the front-bumper design of the new Buick Century to
arch-rivals Plymouth.
As the witch-hunt gets under way, Bill Morris's streetwise debut novel
glides along beautifully, negotiating the twists of plot and
characterisation with dash and grace, recreating to perfection the
buoyant but tarnished ethos of that chrome decade when the contemporary
world was a squalling infant and you could buy a Hurri-Hot Electri-Cup
with removable egg-rack for only $14.95. America: the beautiful. -- D.
H.
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