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Fiction. Literature. HTML:Maxwell Sim can�??t seem to make a single meaningful connection. His absent father was always more interested in poetry; he maintains an e-mail correspondence with his estranged wife, though under a false identity; his incomprehensible teenage daughter prefers her BlackBerry to his conversation; and his best friend since childhood is refusing to return his calls. He has seventy-four friends on Facebook, but nobody to talk to. In an attempt to stir himself out of this horrible rut, Max quits his job as a customer liaison at the local department store and accepts a strange business proposition that falls in his lap by chance: he�??s hired to drive a Prius full of toothbrushes to the remote Shetland Islands, part of a misguided promotional campaign for a dental-hygiene company intent on illustrating the slogan �??We Reach Furthest.�?� But Max�??s trip doesn�??t go as planned, as he�??s unable to resist making a series of impromptu visits to important figures from his past who live en route. After a string of cruelly enlightening and intensely awkward misadventures, he finds himself falling in love with the soothing voice of his GPS system (�??Emma�?�) and obsessively identifying with a sailor who perpetrated a notorious hoax and subsequently lost his mind. Eventually Max begins to wonder if perhaps it�??s a severe lack of self-knowledge that�??s hampering his ability to form actual relationships. A humane satire and modern-day picaresque, The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim is a gently comic and rollickingly entertaining novel about the paradoxical difficulties of making genuine attachments in a world of advanced communications technolo… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member elkiedee
Maxwell Sim presents himself as a rather pathetic character. He has been off work for some time suffering depression, his marriage has collapsed and now he is flying home from Australia after a disastrous visit to his dad. He tries to start a conversation with the man next to him on the plane, and
Two of my favourite Jonathan Coe novels tell the story of a group of friends growing up in 1980s Birmingham (The Rotters’ Club) and then in the sequel (The Closed Circle), as adults in the Blair years. Coe’s latest novel is set in the present, or at least early 2009, after the financial crash, and includes not only very modern day technology and references, but also a perspective on some very contemporary concerns, as the narrator’s new job is as a salesman selling more ethical toothbrushes.
Although Maxwell Sim is portrayed as a terrible bore, the novel is far from dull. I found it a very fast, engaging read, with real warmth and wit. I don’t know if this portrayal of the Brown years will have the lasting appeal of some of his previous work – will we ever feel nostalgic about the Noughties? – but the contemporary references now are great fun, as this lonely man begins to think of his SatNav as a friend and be comforted by her voice. I was also amused by the use of one of my favourite websites, Mumsnet, in a story I find all too believable – Max has ended up finding out about what his ex wife is doing with her life by making up a female identity to befriend her online. This is just one example of the novel questioning how we develop a sense of self.
The story contains several other stories within it, such as a short story supposedly written by Caroline, various letters and diary extracts. Coe uses lots of plot devices, but this novel never becomes inaccessible, it stays quite easy to read. The denouement of the story will probably annoy some people intensely but I found it quite interesting.
This is not Coe’s best work but I found it quirky, sad, witty, engaging and very readable and it has reminded me that I need to catch up with some of his other books.
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launches into a monologue about the advantages of living in Watford, not noticing that the other man is not listening.... Two of my favourite Jonathan Coe novels tell the story of a group of friends growing up in 1980s Birmingham (The Rotters’ Club) and then in the sequel (The Closed Circle), as adults in the Blair years. Coe’s latest novel is set in the present, or at least early 2009, after the financial crash, and includes not only very modern day technology and references, but also a perspective on some very contemporary concerns, as the narrator’s new job is as a salesman selling more ethical toothbrushes.
Although Maxwell Sim is portrayed as a terrible bore, the novel is far from dull. I found it a very fast, engaging read, with real warmth and wit. I don’t know if this portrayal of the Brown years will have the lasting appeal of some of his previous work – will we ever feel nostalgic about the Noughties? – but the contemporary references now are great fun, as this lonely man begins to think of his SatNav as a friend and be comforted by her voice. I was also amused by the use of one of my favourite websites, Mumsnet, in a story I find all too believable – Max has ended up finding out about what his ex wife is doing with her life by making up a female identity to befriend her online. This is just one example of the novel questioning how we develop a sense of self.
The story contains several other stories within it, such as a short story supposedly written by Caroline, various letters and diary extracts. Coe uses lots of plot devices, but this novel never becomes inaccessible, it stays quite easy to read. The denouement of the story will probably annoy some people intensely but I found it quite interesting.
This is not Coe’s best work but I found it quirky, sad, witty, engaging and very readable and it has reminded me that I need to catch up with some of his other books.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
A very entertaining novel dealing which addresses the neuroses of Maxwell Sim, a salesman for a department store as he grapples to rebuild his life after a bout of depression following his estrangement from his wife and daughter.
Although the novel is frequently hilarious, Coe treats the bleaker
Having had my own problems with depression in the past I could identify with a lot of the incidents that befall Maxwell Sim - in fact, now I am worried as to whether my own behaviour in the past appeared as odd to others as Maxwell Sim's seemed to the reader, which could of course just spark off another bout of despair ...
Although the novel is frequently hilarious, Coe treats the bleaker
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sides of the protagonist's depression with great tenderness, and offers hope for redemption throughout.Having had my own problems with depression in the past I could identify with a lot of the incidents that befall Maxwell Sim - in fact, now I am worried as to whether my own behaviour in the past appeared as odd to others as Maxwell Sim's seemed to the reader, which could of course just spark off another bout of despair ...
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LibraryThing member balbs
This reminded me of an up to date 'Keep the Aspidistra flying' with the key difference that rather than rebelling about the state of society our 'hero' embraces it for the lack of anything else. Strangely disorientating until the very end this struck me as continuing the themes of 'Carve Up' and
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'Rotters Club' and has a lot to say about the psyche of Britain today. Show Less
LibraryThing member Minx8
I found the final chapter of this novel intensely annoying and for that reason alone, would not recommend it.
Even without that turn of events I was really quite disappointed with the book, which for me, just didn't work. I simply couldn't bring myself to care what happened to Maxwell Sim who was
I didn't read other reviews until after I had finished the book and was genuinely surprised that lots of people seemed to like it. It seems to be one of those books which polarises opinions.
Even without that turn of events I was really quite disappointed with the book, which for me, just didn't work. I simply couldn't bring myself to care what happened to Maxwell Sim who was
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not very clever, not very interesting and entirely lacking in charm. Many of the minor characters in the book are more spirited and interesting but they appear only fleetingly and do not really develop. Moments that were apparently supposed to be poignant or symbolic seemed unrealistic and contrived, the social comment was clumsy. In general, the book read to me as too slapstick for effective satire, too serious for effective slapstick and I wondered whether the author had stopped working on it a few drafts too early...I didn't read other reviews until after I had finished the book and was genuinely surprised that lots of people seemed to like it. It seems to be one of those books which polarises opinions.
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LibraryThing member timtom
When she finally divorced him, Maxwell Sim's wife left him a parting gift: a non-refundable Qantas ticket. A nudge to get him to finally visit his estranged father, who has emigrated to Australia. Barely recovering from clinical depression, Max does visit his father and thus starts the long journey
The story is written in that excellent dark british humor that manages to turn the private life of a depressed toothbrush salesman into a gripping story. David Lodge comes to mind. Brilliant!
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through the past of various characters that will ultimately lead him to his father's secret. And to an abrupt, quite unexpected end...The story is written in that excellent dark british humor that manages to turn the private life of a depressed toothbrush salesman into a gripping story. David Lodge comes to mind. Brilliant!
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LibraryThing member sanddancer
Maxwell Sim is a middle-aged man, whose wife has left him, moving to the other end of the country with their daughter. His relationship with his cold, distant father isn't much better and he envys the intimacy and intellect of others. A meeting with an old work colleague leds to him taking part in
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a promotional event for a new brand of toothbrushes, which involves driving to Scotland. This description makes the book sound like a fairly typical middle-life crisis story, but what elevates it above this is its literary allusions and interesting structure. T S Eliot's Four Quartets is mentioned and the book follows this structure, constructed in four parts named after the elements. Within each main section as narrated by Maxwell, there is another story that is connected to the overall narrative but written by someone else, for example a short story written by his wife and a college report by an old family friend. The first of these interludes is about a real life person Donald Crowhurst, an amateur yachtsman who attempted to circumnavigate the world for a competition in the 1960s, but turned out to be a fake. Maxwell feels a kinship with Crowhurst and his own life starts to mirror Crowhurst's. There are also references to the Reginald Perrin books here and it has a similar bitter-sweet humour. I can't make up my mind about whether I liked the way the book ended or not, but I enjoyed the rest of the book so much that I won't hold that against it. I would have probably been disappointed however it ended because I didn't want it to end at all. Show Less
LibraryThing member otterley
I had been very much looking forward to reading this after hearing the author read an excerpt at a festival in 2009, and being convulsed with laughter. However, for me this backfired. I love some of Coe's books and am deeply ambivalent about the others and this falls into the latter category. I
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should say that part of this comes from the 'reveal' in the last chapter, which really deflated the reading experience for me. Otherwise, the book is full of Coe's trademark bravura depictions of the banality of everyday life, is structured brilliantly, and is emotionally moving. But the experience of reading for me just didn't quite work. I think writers often find it quite difficult to portray ordinary people doing ordinary jobs. Where Coe has done this brilliantly is striking into his own past in the Rotters' Club and finding a wonderful mix of love and humour. Here it seems to me that there is a remove from the first person narrative, a cleverer presence somewhere looking down - and even if this is largely intentional, it's difficult to find it likeable. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lucybird
I really want to talk about the end of this book but I think maybe the end is not the best place to start!
Overall The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim made me think of Mark Haddon’s ‘A Spot of Bother‘. The character of Max was very similar to George, or at least their situation was. However
There were a fair few twists and turns as well that were good. One though seemed really unneccessary and I don’t really get why it was included. I’m not going to spell it out which bit because I think if you’ve read it you’ll know, and spoilers are tempting to read!
The only really problem I’m say with this book is that it can be quite mundane at times. You just feel like you’re reading the life of any old person really, but maybe that is the point. Max is meant to be someone who could easily be you.
So the end. That was one twist and half. I’m still trying to get my head around it two days later. In some ways I kind of get why it was there, something to do with Jonathon Coe talking about himself, or maybe just writers in general. It just seems a bit out of place.
Certainly not the best Coe I’ve ever read, but still worth the read.
Overall The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim made me think of Mark Haddon’s ‘A Spot of Bother‘. The character of Max was very similar to George, or at least their situation was. However
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while I found A Spot of Bother a little disturbing, and found it difficult to see through to the jokes, I found that a lot of The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim was funny, even what could have been depressing bits were delivered well, they didn’t seem too gloomy. [highlight for A Spot of Bother spoiler]In fact my overriding memory of A Spot of Bother is of George trying to cut off his excema with a pair of scissors. The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim has no such disturbing scenes (although apparently the scene in A Spot of Bother is meant to be funny.)There were a fair few twists and turns as well that were good. One though seemed really unneccessary and I don’t really get why it was included. I’m not going to spell it out which bit because I think if you’ve read it you’ll know, and spoilers are tempting to read!
The only really problem I’m say with this book is that it can be quite mundane at times. You just feel like you’re reading the life of any old person really, but maybe that is the point. Max is meant to be someone who could easily be you.
So the end. That was one twist and half. I’m still trying to get my head around it two days later. In some ways I kind of get why it was there, something to do with Jonathon Coe talking about himself, or maybe just writers in general. It just seems a bit out of place.
Certainly not the best Coe I’ve ever read, but still worth the read.
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LibraryThing member Limelite
It’s hard to have much sympathy for a desperately lonely, sad, and ineffectual personality like Max, but it may be because of the surprise twist and revelation at the end about who, exactly, Maxwell Sim is.
His wife, Carolyn, has left him, taking their daughter, Lucy, with her. Six months after
Before leaving Australia, while sitting in a restaurant, Max sees an Asian woman playing a table game with her daughter. Their happiness, strong bond, and healthy loving relationship are so complete, they burn a permanent memory in Max’s brain that pays off at the end of the novel.
The book is a modern picaresque – Max journeys across England on his way to the Shetland Islands, on a sales promo for the ecological toothbrush manufacturer he’s working for. Only he dawdles along the way, reconnecting with his in-laws, his ex, a woman he knew from childhood, and with his unsuccessful trip end that surprisingly, closes the loop in Australia again.
Coe explores the high-tech disconnectedness of human lives in an age when our devices and gadgets seemingly have us more “plugged in” than ever. The truth is, we increasingly live our lives in terrible isolation. Humorous at times, tragic from start to end.
His wife, Carolyn, has left him, taking their daughter, Lucy, with her. Six months after
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the separation, Carolyn gifts Max with a ticket to Australia so he can visit his father with whom he’s had no relationship at all. The visit does not go well, except his father wants Max to recover a blue notebook from the abandoned flat in England.Before leaving Australia, while sitting in a restaurant, Max sees an Asian woman playing a table game with her daughter. Their happiness, strong bond, and healthy loving relationship are so complete, they burn a permanent memory in Max’s brain that pays off at the end of the novel.
The book is a modern picaresque – Max journeys across England on his way to the Shetland Islands, on a sales promo for the ecological toothbrush manufacturer he’s working for. Only he dawdles along the way, reconnecting with his in-laws, his ex, a woman he knew from childhood, and with his unsuccessful trip end that surprisingly, closes the loop in Australia again.
Coe explores the high-tech disconnectedness of human lives in an age when our devices and gadgets seemingly have us more “plugged in” than ever. The truth is, we increasingly live our lives in terrible isolation. Humorous at times, tragic from start to end.
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LibraryThing member jayne_charles
What a superb novel this was, perfectly balancing light and shade with the sort of humour you would not necessarily expect from a story about depression and loneliness.
Middle aged Max is the sort of socially inept character who can literally bore people to death, a man with 70 friends on Facebook,
It would have been a five star rating for me, were it not for the last chapter which I could happily have lost. No...hang on, make that the last two chapters. The final chapter was a gimmick too far as far as I was concerned (I suspect it will divide opinion among readers) even though the chapter heading (which I didn’t notice the first time I read it) lent it a bit more significance. The penultimate chapter, whilst it went about tying up ends, felt facile and a bit sickly-sweet in comparison with the rest of the book.
Still a great book, though.
Middle aged Max is the sort of socially inept character who can literally bore people to death, a man with 70 friends on Facebook,
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none of which he has ever met. But he was totally likeable. On one level this is an examination of the ways in which we can still be isolated in this modern, seemingly well-connected age, on another it is simply a great story with interesting, well drawn characters. I like the way Jonathan Coe merges fact and fiction in his novels, and here he demonstrates how to do the “story within a story” set-up really well.It would have been a five star rating for me, were it not for the last chapter which I could happily have lost. No...hang on, make that the last two chapters. The final chapter was a gimmick too far as far as I was concerned (I suspect it will divide opinion among readers) even though the chapter heading (which I didn’t notice the first time I read it) lent it a bit more significance. The penultimate chapter, whilst it went about tying up ends, felt facile and a bit sickly-sweet in comparison with the rest of the book.
Still a great book, though.
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LibraryThing member LARA335
Maxwell is lonely, isolated, a bit of a loser, not in touch with the modern world and heading for a nervous breakdown. So a bit unsettling that I could understand all too well where he was coming from,(hopefully that shows the skill of Jonathan Coe rather than my mental state...?)
Bleak
Interesting 'journey'and ultimately post-modernist structure, to meditate and throw a spotlight on relationships and 21c technology.
Bleak
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subject-matter but wryly humorous and well-written. Maxwell has 74 friends on Facebook, but when he takes his teenage daughter he hasn't seen for some months out to dinner, they both endure the evening by checking their phones. And his wife leaves him, but he becomes her 'friend' under a female pseudonym on mums-net.Interesting 'journey'and ultimately post-modernist structure, to meditate and throw a spotlight on relationships and 21c technology.
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LibraryThing member PetreaBurchard
I went back and forth on this--three stars, four stars? Ultimately, I give it three because the ending disappointed me.
But the rest of the book (most of it) is delightful. Maxwell is such a full character--so blind to himself, but so willing to try, desperate, even, to become something. He's just
With a writer like Coe I almost don't care about the story because I enjoy the voice so much. But I thought he gave up on the ending of the book. Maybe he couldn't decide what to do with Maxwell, but I felt let down by his choice.
Petrea Burchard
Camelot & Vine
But the rest of the book (most of it) is delightful. Maxwell is such a full character--so blind to himself, but so willing to try, desperate, even, to become something. He's just
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not sure what.With a writer like Coe I almost don't care about the story because I enjoy the voice so much. But I thought he gave up on the ending of the book. Maybe he couldn't decide what to do with Maxwell, but I felt let down by his choice.
Petrea Burchard
Camelot & Vine
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LibraryThing member kairih
Well the same thing happened to me after finishing “The House of Sleep”: I’m thoroughly mesmerized. (So by now I can say I’m used to the feeling and I can move on to the next Coe’s book). The story holds a thousand more tales and meanings than you’d expect by just reading the
And like it happened with “The House of Sleep”, I once again felt jealous of the characters just because they were in a story that was so amazing but that always stayed simple nonetheless. Everything was beautifully interconnected and every single detail was really engaging. The plot twists were excellently mastered and I'm not going to comment on them because I feel that words wouldn't do them justice.
My favorite character was Emma (Lol ok that was a bad joke, but then again you must admit in a way she was the wisest of them all). Joking aside I think my favorite character - other than Maxwell Sim that I adored - was Poppy.
About the very last pages, I must say: well played, Jonathan, you screwed with our minds very nicely (with mine at least). You are an evil genius!!
I don’t know whether or not you can say someone is one of your favorite writers even though you’ve only read two books of his but that’s how I feel towards this amazing author. And of course now I intend to read every single one of his works.
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description. It really felt like violating the privacy of Maxwell Sim simply by reading his story, because he was absolutely real, the story was utterly honest and true, and the atmosphere very intimate. That’s why at the same time it seemed as though you were the only one who was supposed to read the story. And like it happened with “The House of Sleep”, I once again felt jealous of the characters just because they were in a story that was so amazing but that always stayed simple nonetheless. Everything was beautifully interconnected and every single detail was really engaging. The plot twists were excellently mastered and I'm not going to comment on them because I feel that words wouldn't do them justice.
My favorite character was Emma (Lol ok that was a bad joke, but then again you must admit in a way she was the wisest of them all). Joking aside I think my favorite character - other than Maxwell Sim that I adored - was Poppy.
About the very last pages, I must say: well played, Jonathan, you screwed with our minds very nicely (with mine at least). You are an evil genius!!
I don’t know whether or not you can say someone is one of your favorite writers even though you’ve only read two books of his but that’s how I feel towards this amazing author. And of course now I intend to read every single one of his works.
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LibraryThing member idiotgirl
This is a 3.5. But I liked this book the more I spent with it. When I started laughing about 80% through the book, I started edging up from my 3.0. And that gave me the context I needed for the mise en byme ending. I'm pretty hard to convince with artsy stuff these days. I've read many fine novels,
This one annoyed me for a long time. But it got more and more playful, and self deprecating. That is what I guessed I liked.
I recommend the read. Listened on audible, and it was a charming read.
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and I'd rather someone have modest and workmanly aspirations and succeed, than have artsy, hubristic goals, and crash and burn. It's hard to figure out where hubris ends and courage begins. So much that just annoys me in contemporary fiction.This one annoyed me for a long time. But it got more and more playful, and self deprecating. That is what I guessed I liked.
I recommend the read. Listened on audible, and it was a charming read.
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LibraryThing member thorold
Maxwell Sim, a depressed, middle-aged toothbrush-salesman struggling to recover from his wife leaving him, is a character straight out of Coe's Middle-England. In another world he could have been Herzog and/or Willy Loman; in this one, the figure he comes to identify with most strongly is that very
As always with Coe, this is a clever, witty novel, full of sharp social observation, and keeps on undermining our expectations in cunningly contrived ways. It's a story in which just about all the characters have the wrong idea about some of the key events in their lives. All the same, the "big reveal" in the final chapters, the key thing that Maxwell fails to realise about himself, isn't likely to come as a surprise to many readers. But that scarcely matters, this is a book to enjoy for its detail, and for Coe's obvious warm affection for his self-hating character. I enjoyed Coe's take on Crowhurst, and it was fun to see the way he also brought in L.T.C. Rolt and Narrowboat, amongst many other peripheral storylines.
We could probably have done without the cameo appearances by the author, but they didn't really do any harm, and did allow him to weasel out of the boring obligation to wind up the threads of the story after having got to the essential point of resolution, so I suppose they did just about serve a purpose.
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English heroic failure, the deranged yachtsman Donald Crowhurst. A role-model for all of us...As always with Coe, this is a clever, witty novel, full of sharp social observation, and keeps on undermining our expectations in cunningly contrived ways. It's a story in which just about all the characters have the wrong idea about some of the key events in their lives. All the same, the "big reveal" in the final chapters, the key thing that Maxwell fails to realise about himself, isn't likely to come as a surprise to many readers. But that scarcely matters, this is a book to enjoy for its detail, and for Coe's obvious warm affection for his self-hating character. I enjoyed Coe's take on Crowhurst, and it was fun to see the way he also brought in L.T.C. Rolt and Narrowboat, amongst many other peripheral storylines.
We could probably have done without the cameo appearances by the author, but they didn't really do any harm, and did allow him to weasel out of the boring obligation to wind up the threads of the story after having got to the essential point of resolution, so I suppose they did just about serve a purpose.
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Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2012)
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