Book description
Elderly Scottish bookworm Mr Mee searches the Internet for the
legendary Rosier's Encyclopaedia which supposedly outlines an
18th-century quantum theory. Instead he enters a strange new world of
cyber-hoaxers and online pornography. Meanwhile university lecturer Dr
Petrie, an expert on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, recounts his infatuation
with one of his own students. And in the third strand of this unique
comedy of ideas, Rousseau's Laurel-and-Hardy-like neighbours Ferrand
and Minard hold the key to Rosier's Encyclopaedia, Rousseau's madness,
and Mr Mee himself.
Combining history and fantasy, philosophy and farce, Crumey's novel
is an intellectual page-turner that keeps the reader laughing and
guessing to the end.
'This book is fabulous stuff: erudite but not patronising,
elegantly and simply written, jumping ambitiously across centuries but
with a good dash of down-to-earth lust for entertainment. More than
once, Crumey make his reader pause, rest the book in his lap, and
acknowledg that life really is quite extraordinary. He deserves to be
better known' The Times
