Review: Insane Angels by Edward Nicholls

Miracles happen in the most unlikely places in Insane Angels by Edward Nicholls, a whip-smart peek into higher powers, both human and divine.

The only thing that can make a hangover worse – or at least weirder – is finding a halo inexplicably hanging above your head, and that is precisely the predicament of the otherwise unremarkable Michael Flagg, setting an original and smirking premise for this tongue-in-cheek novel. Though Michael considers himself a bit of a mad chemist, this seemingly heavenly accessory goes beyond garden-variety bizarre, and it doesn’t take long for the world to notice. Whether he’s being interrogated by cardinals, prodded by scientists, grilled by journalists, or worshipped by the local postman, his humble life has changed overnight, turning him into a phenomenon of biblical proportions.

Like moths to a flame of fame, con men and hangers-on also appear at the door, eager to cash in on the outpouring of attention, which only grows after Michael comes back from the dead. As this antihero messiah navigates his ascension to celebrity, as well as assassination attempts, manipulative managers, and an increasingly angry girlfriend, he must also figure out why his miraculous halo has begun to flicker and dim, before his crowning glory fades into last week’s news. When the mystery is finally unraveled, Michael still has a few cards to play, provided the relentless government spooks don’t knock him off before he makes a saintly escape.

The story is compact and moves quickly, touching briefly on contemplative ideas before launching towards the next metaphor or zany escapade, while never being too heavyhanded in its thematic delivery or allegorical elbow nudges. The corrupting influence of power, particularly on such an otherworldly level, is the most obvious arc of Michael’s development, but his self-destructive urge when faced with immortality also plays with existence under a more philosophical lens. The tendrils of money, power, greed, and control that spread across this plot are cartoonishly evil, but not wildly unbelievable, meaning that Nicholls hit his mark well.

The writing throughout the novel is self-aware and sardonic, with Michael snapping out one-liners from start to finish. Even when the protagonist’s delusions of grandeur grow grander, his clever tongue remains as his humility fades. Wordplay, jokes buried in the narration, and other subtle flashes of humor urge readers to savor every line, with many of the secondary characters also showing generous wit.

Despite the obvious care taken with most of the language choices, there is still room for a final proofread or light editing pass for rare word mixups (“grizzly”/“grisly”) and minor grammatical slips. Some of the dialogic exchanges could also be polished, if only to raise their caliber and cleverness to match the vast majority of conversations. There are also a few too many self-referential questions in the narration, which helps to frame readers in the mindset of the protagonist, but is also a storytelling crutch that could be eased off.

That said, this is a hilarious, timely, and well-balanced satire that artfully skewers the fables of faith and false idols.