Book review: Lost for Words is a darkly and snarkly humorous take on the behind the scenes machinations during the awarding of the famed and coveted Elysian Prize for Literature (the Man Booker in disguise, but not well disguised). Highly enjoyable and entertaining if you enjoy the annual drama and discussion around the literary prize (which you may discussing right now since the Man Booker long list was just released). This novel is all something of a literary in-joke, sure to appeal to writers, would-be writers, insiders, and attentive readers. St. Aubyn is his own writer (I haven't read the Patrick Melrose novels yet), but parts of Lost for Words reminded me of Christopher Buckley, and if you like Buckley's works you're sure to want to read this one. Perhaps this isn't a major literary work (surprisingly, it somehow failed to win the Man Booker when it was published), but it's certainly comedic social commentary happily mixed with satire and evisceration. As the Man Booker hysteria reaches a fever pitch, this is the perfect time to read Lost for Words. If you want to see a brilliant expose of what may be the truth about how literary prizes are awarded (St. Aubyn is one who is in the know), you should check to see if your local library has a spare copy of Lost for Words. Snark alert! [3½★]
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