Earlon ‘Bucky’ Bronco is an erstwhile soul singer. One recording session in 1967 produced the single, ‘Until the Wheels Fall Off’, which disappeared without a trace in his home country, USA, taking his singing career with it. In England, however, and particularly in Yorkshire, the single and Bucky have legend status. Having endured a hard life punctuated by loss, Bucky is then shocked to find that over 50 years later he’s invited to sing at Scarborough’s music festival.
Bucky’s met at the airport by his guide and superfan, Dinah. Bucky apologises for his presence, thinking that the organisers have made a mistake. Dinah’s having none of it, though, and treats him as the legend she believes him to be. Singing is the least of Bucky’s concerns, however. His hips have degenerated, and his only relief is from opioids. To his dismay, he’s left his supply on the plane. He finds alcohol and random drugs don’t help. Of greater assistance is the companionship of Dinah and her friends. Hattie, from the pub, reveals that Bucky’s hit has been sampled by a rapper and that he may be due some royalties.
The characterisations of the three female friends Bucky makes – Dinah, Hattie and the hotel cleaner, Shabana – are well-constructed. Dinah’s husband, Russell, and her son, Lee, however, are drawn cartoonishly – flat, cliched and unfunny. Bucky’s appearance on stage is – predictably – held back until the book’s denouement. Will he be sober enough to be able to sing? Will he remember the lyrics? Given the limited story arc, this novel might have worked more successfully as a short story.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Benjamin Myers is an award-winning writer, whose work includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry and journalism. His work has been translated into thirteen languages.
His novels form a body of work that explores rural landscapes, mythology, history, marginalised characters, morality, class, nature, dialect and post-industrialisation. His novel, Cuddy, is a bold and experimental retelling of the story of the hermit St. Cuthbert, unofficial patron saint of the North of England and won the Goldsmiths Prize.
Moving and exhilarating, tender and slyly witty, The Perfect Golden Circle is a novel set over the course of a burning hot summer. Featuring a Falklands veteran and New Age traveller, the two men set out nightly in a clapped-out camper van to undertake an extraordinary project.
As a journalist he has written for publications including New Statesman, The Guardian, The Spectator, Le Monde, NME, New Scientist, Mojo, The TLS and many more.
Myers has received support from the K Blundell Trust, the Royal Society Of Literature’s Brookleaze Grant and Arts Council England. He is a Fellow at the Royal Society of Literature.
He was born in Durham, UK, in 1976 and currently lives in the Upper Calder Valley, West Yorkshire.
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