Review: Snatch 2&20 by Luke E. Fellows

A raucous story told by a brilliant mind becomes something both satirical and insightful in Snatch 2&20 by Luke Fellows. Following the misadventures and addled mind of one Giles Goodenough, this book is both a riveting read and a whimsical magic trick, spelling out a story so strange, and populated with such unique characters, that you’ll regret reaching the final page.

This foppish protagonist is depicted in sparkling detail, and readers quickly understand the caricature being painted – entitled, privileged, and used to skating through life without having to expend too much effort. In some ways, Giles is reminiscent of Ignatius, the leading man in John Kennedy O’Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces. This comparison is no doubt a compliment, and with a narrative mind so painstakingly penned by the author, it is hard not to side with Giles’ buffoonery on the roads of life.

When he is tapped as the inside man by a billionaire, and tasked with spying on a tech company with plenty of secrets, Goodenough is thrust into the center of a dangerous game, and what sense of control he had enjoyed over his life begins to disappear. Swirling in a labyrinthine world of lies and backdoor deals, Giles may be in over his head, but he always seems capable of talking himself out of trouble.

Cherry, his buxom wife, is far more than a tired script; she adds depth and emotional complexity to the story, while initially feeling slightly hackneyed. Supported by a wider and even more colorful cast of secondary characters, the novel is a kaleidoscopic and highly caffeinated ride through a manic adventure, but written with heart and care in every line of prose.

Aside from the ever-twisting plot, the most notable aspect of this novel is the language; it elevates what could be a goofy bit of escapism to a much more impressive echelon of storytelling. Fellows has a gift for turning a common description into something clever and unexpected, using imagery with intention and wit. Using humor as a scalpel, he lays bare some of the very relevant hypocrisies and failures of our modern world. To achieve this without coming across as overly political or preachy is a challenge, but Fellows has a measured approach, where no one is immune to his acerbic observations.

For some readers, the characters’ flaws may make the book unpalatable, and some of the sleazier lines – both spoken and narrated – are cringe-inducing, and the author would do well to remember that misogyny is only funny to a certain point, before it becomes less of an exposé than a display. That being said, once a reader grows to know the characters, and see the scope of the author’s world-building, the extremes become more tolerable, but a few careful edits could smooth some of these rougher edges.

As a whole, the novel sings like a satirical sword cutting through the worlds of finance and the realms of human folly, making Snatch 2&20 a timely caper that is both amusing and insightful from start to finish.