French Bastards - Michel Houellebecq's Serotonin. Part I, Episode I.

Reviewing Roland Topor's "The Tenant', which is a French novel exploring primarily identity. It follows protagonist Trelkovsky and narrates his descent into madness, which raises questions about his identity and how it's molded by alienation, paranoia, and annoying neighbors. Let me what what you think of the book. If you've seen the movie, let me know how that went too - enjoy!

The venerable Dr. Jekyll, the ignominious Mr. Hyde, the dark, clammy streets of 19th-century London... they're all best enjoyed with a glass of Redbreast 15! This episode, I review the horror fiction classic - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson and published in 1886. Enjoy!

Monsters, doctors, murders! Are they all one and the same? This week I discuss Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" in all of its Gothic and Romantic glory, while touching on themes of loneliness, companionship, fervor, and of course, beer! 

The perfect Christian, demons, chateaus, Joan of Arc, and alchemy! To kick off October, I review Robert Nye's masterpiece 'The Life and Death of My Lord Gilles Rais', a historical fiction telling the story of Joan Of Arc's right-hand man. Dichotomies galore, including a Japanese stout! Cheers!

This week we have Brazilian legend Machado de Assis' magnum opus (debatable), Epitaph of a Small Winner. Escapades, ruminations, absurdity abound. Listen for a fun kick-off to Part II!

Reviewing French Decadent Fin de siècle novel "Monsieur de Bougrelon', written by Jean Lorrain in the late 19th century. Brilliant imagery and prose abound, Monsieur de Bougrelon is brilliantly written and surely matched with an equally interesting drink... listen to find out!

We review existentialist classic Nausea written by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1938. Which drink could possibly accompany a novel of such unique, daunting, and horrible nature? 

Episode 1 of Part I: French Bastards. John Wesley reviews the ever-contentious Houellebecq and his latest novel Serotonin. He finishes the episode with a glass of... listen to find out!

Why? And also, what? I introduce myself (briefly) and review what this pod is about: What will each episode entail? What is included in a book review? What are we drinking?    Listen to this short introduction episode to find out!