Tourist Paperback – 16 April 1998

Portrait of young woman trying independence. The heroine has many good attributes, including fierce loyalty and extreme warmth towards other characters. It's unusual for a book of this type, told in first person with a female protagonist, to have been written by a man, and a young man at that. The English seaside seems to hold an almost mythic importance for British writers. This book and the Electric Michelangelo both take place in seaside towns, the combination of hope and decrepitude, almost a metaphor for unfulfilled wishes. Also, this book is raw with vivid descriptions of sex. Instead of being gratuitous, they enhance the characterizations.

I read "8 minutes idle" and I loved it. The charters in that story are so honest and raw, they keep you wanting more. I wanted to follow up with Matt's other books, but after reading this im not sure i will be reading the rest. I had to really just tell myself to finish it. I don't like leaving a book half unread. The characters weren't interesting and not likeable. On the other hand I might read onother one of his books just to prove that this one was a dud. Crossing my fingers it's true.