Boxer Beetle
Encyclopedia
Boxer, Beetle is a novel by British author Ned Beauman. It was first published by Sceptre on 5 August 2010. The novel was shortlisted for the Guardian Best First Book Award in 2010.
, one occurring in modern day London and the other in 1930s England. The initial connection between the two narratives occurs in 2010 when a Nazi memorabilia
collector discovers a hand-written note from Adolf Hitler
. The letter is addressed to Doctor Erskine, a young aristocrat and eugenics
researcher. Evidently, he had sent a gift to Hitler and it had been very well received. The finder of the note, “Fishy”, so called because of a rare medical condition
that causes the sufferer’s sweat to smell of rotten fish, appeals to the users of a Nazi memorabilia message board
to help in solving the mystery.
wrote that it was a "gripping and clever" story, and while the parts of the novel set in the modern day "occasionally strays too far into postmodern whimsy", the parts of the novel set in the 1930s are "wonderfully evoked, and [...] taut, thematically rich and extremely well written". She added that Beauman had successfully "take[n] an old and predictable structure and allow[ed] it to produce new and unpredictable connections." Keith Miller of The Telegraph
described parts of the book as "very funny" with a "smooth narrative flow" and praised the relationship between Seth and Eskine, but believed that parts of the rest of the book were "narratively overdetermined". Rob Sharp of The Independent
concluded that it was "a fine debut: clever, inventive, intelligently structured, genre-spanning, [...] and above all, an enjoyable, high-octane read through a fascinating period in history."
Overview
The story is divided into two parallel arcsStory arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
, one occurring in modern day London and the other in 1930s England. The initial connection between the two narratives occurs in 2010 when a Nazi memorabilia
Nazi memorabilia
Nazi memorabilia are items of Nazi origin that are collected by museums and private individuals. Much of it comes from soldiers who collected small items as trophies during the Second World War....
collector discovers a hand-written note from Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. The letter is addressed to Doctor Erskine, a young aristocrat and eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
researcher. Evidently, he had sent a gift to Hitler and it had been very well received. The finder of the note, “Fishy”, so called because of a rare medical condition
Trimethylaminuria
Trimethylaminuria , also known as fish odor syndrome or fish malodor syndrome, is a rare metabolic disorder that causes a defect in the normal production of the enzyme Flavin containing monooxygenase 3...
that causes the sufferer’s sweat to smell of rotten fish, appeals to the users of a Nazi memorabilia message board
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
to help in solving the mystery.
Reception
The novel has received broadly positive reviews. Scarlett Thomas of The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote that it was a "gripping and clever" story, and while the parts of the novel set in the modern day "occasionally strays too far into postmodern whimsy", the parts of the novel set in the 1930s are "wonderfully evoked, and [...] taut, thematically rich and extremely well written". She added that Beauman had successfully "take[n] an old and predictable structure and allow[ed] it to produce new and unpredictable connections." Keith Miller of The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
described parts of the book as "very funny" with a "smooth narrative flow" and praised the relationship between Seth and Eskine, but believed that parts of the rest of the book were "narratively overdetermined". Rob Sharp of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
concluded that it was "a fine debut: clever, inventive, intelligently structured, genre-spanning, [...] and above all, an enjoyable, high-octane read through a fascinating period in history."