Alan Partridge: Nomad

I can't put my finger on it but there was just something "off" about this book. Somehow the lunacy that is the World Of Partridge just doesn't quite work in the same way that it did in I, Partridge. Set after the events of the film Alpha Papa this book sees the inimitable Alan take his prejudices for a wander between Norwich and Dungeness Power Station. Ostensibly he dresses this up as following his father's harrowing journey for a job interview - in reality, it is Alan being his usual idiotic self and throwing a strop because "other people" get paid to make TV Shows about walking. It does have the accepted Partridge style and wanders off in to a surreal world that you can almost recognise but is so distorted by Alan's ego that it becomes almost a pastiche of itself. Therein lies the problem, somehow it all feels a bit forced; a bit too try hard - just like Alan himself really. Whilst there are moments of accepted Partridgean brilliance, they are few and far between with the bulk of the book falling strangely flat (something I did not expect - maybe that is the problem, I expected too much from it). The constant footnotes actually served to distract from the reading this time around and whereas in I, Partridge they really added something to the story this time I actually gave up on reading them as they really didn't add any humour or further insight to the chaos that is Alan. Overall, it was an okay read that did garner a few giggles but certainly no guffaws.

Without a doubt one of the funniest books I've read. I can't recommend it enough to people who enjoy awkward comedies like the office or, of course, Alan partridge. The over confident bumbling awkwardness of the Norwich radio star shines through in every line such that I can almost hear him reading it.

Having never read one of the 'Partridge' books before but watched a lot of the TV series I took a gamble and journeyed into digital reading... this was a very enjoyable book that gets funnier as it builds up towards the end of his remarkable and emotional journey. A truly inspirational read by a wise, genuine man who, at times, can raise an out loud chuckle.