On the HahaFiction shelf
The Cameraman
Audiobook available · 6 hr 29 min
Former cinematographer Julius Sewell leaves hospital and joins his family on a drive to a wedding in Rome at Easter 1934. His mother and stepfather favor British Fascists, one sister admires Hitler, and a Communist sister hopes to stop the marriage to an Italian Fascist. Julius has missed the political developments everyone else has opinions about.
From the publisher’s blurb
“It flickers with cinematic energy”Read the full description at The Sunday Times, quoted in Atlantic Books’ catalog
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What makes it funny?
These relatives carry their political convictions abroad with all the competence of accident-prone tourists. Their clumsy behavior undercuts their certainty about how the world should be run. Much of the story reaches us through Julius's internal dialogue as he tries to understand the family around him.
The comedy at work
Julius's unfamiliarity gives readers room to notice what his confident relatives cannot. He is catching up on events; they think they already understand them. The gap lets Kneale expose the absurdity of their convictions as the trip moves through Fascist Europe.
Try this if…
Political satire and difficult family holidays meet here. The appeal lies in watching an observer make sense of relatives whose strong beliefs have done little for their judgment or their traveling skills.
Good to know
Psychiatric hospitalization is part of Julius's history. The journey includes a visit to Dachau, so the tourist mishaps sit beside the reality of Fascism.
A few distinguishing details
- A politically divided British family drives to a Fascist wedding in 1934
- A former cinematographer watches relatives whose political certainty exceeds their competence
More funny family comedy
Sources & further reading
- Historical Novel Society review
Review
- Publisher
Publisher
- Audiobook edition
Book information
- Publisher’s 2024 catalog
Publisher
- Bibliographic listing
Book information
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