Very funny (Are You Experienced? - William Sutcliffe)

Member Name: moronboy

Product:	Are You Experienced? - William Sutcliffe
Date:	26/09/00 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Full of laughs

Disadvantages: A bit thin

If you've ever been cornered by some halfwit gap yearer who demands to regale you with the wonderful experiences they had while travelling the world, this is the book for you. If you are some halfwit gap yearer who regales people with the wonderful experiences you had while travelling the world, this book is for you. Gleefully bursting the pretention balloon of many a backpacker, William Sutcliffe's 'Are You Experienced?' is a classic, the story of one brave soul who journeys to India with a noble aim: he's convinced he'll be able to pull his travelling companion.

Lonely Planet toting public schoolboys (hang em!), terrible accommodation and the inevitable Delhi Belly all come under consideration in this slight but very funny romp around the subcontinent. There are problems: it isn't as humane as Sutcliffe's 'New Boy', and there's no plot to speak of, just a succession of events and encounters. Moreover, the ending is very abrupt. But as satire it's barbed and for anyone wanting a good laugh, Sutcliffe knows what he's doing. The book is one of the best examples of anti-travel lit I can think of, perfectly deflating the more OTT expressions of meaningful experiences people alledgedly have on their gap years.

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