When Joe Dunthorne started to write his second novel, he found that something had changed from the first time around. The vast success of his first, 2009's Submarine - recently turned into a widely praised film - weighed heavy on him.
"It was the classic difficult second album situation," he says. "I was so aware that I was positioning myself with my second novel. I spent a year going down a series of dead ends.
"Ultimately, I realised that you can't write on those terms; you can't write with some grand plan for how you will be interpreted. It's not easy to write something as long as a novel, and I had to just go with the material that was going to keep me excited right until the end."
The result is Dunthorne's second novel, published last month. Wild Abandon follows the fortunes of a commune in Wales as the relationship at its heart - the marriage between founders Don and Freya - falls apart, and others, including their children Kate and Albert, watch, and try to hold the community together, or find their own version of freedom.
As with Submarine, this novel is infused with a warm, wonderful affection for the people it depicts, and can boast a quality rare among fiction of any kind: it is genuinely, and frequently, funny. It lends further credence to the idea - brought to life by the success of Submarine - that Dunthorne is one of Britain's most promising young novelists.
Dunthorne's office is in a disused London Underground train carriage; it sits on a site called Village Underground in east London, which is itself a kind of commune, providing working space for local artists, designers and writers. So what drew Dunthorne to communes as a site for his fiction?
"That was twofold, really. First they just seem an inherently rich vein for fiction. You have families in the commune, but also an entire mini-society, and all the power struggles that happen at the top, and you get all this on a manageable palette for a writer. So, without having to paint a picture of an entire society, you can deal with all these themes.
"Second, a friend of mine grew up in a commune in Wales. Her parents, who are amazing people, set it up with a load of fellow Oxbridge graduates in the 1970s. The place is still going, but the couple who set it up have split and with that they kind of ripped the community in two."
For research, Dunthorne went to Wales and gained a first-hand insight into communal living.
"I think what happens with communal living is a kind of perspective shift," he says. "You start out thinking: perhaps this way of life won't present all the same problems as conventional living; perhaps this really will be different. But slowly the veil falls, and all the usual mundane, technical problems start to emerge."
Over and over again Dunthorne deftly captures the humour and the pathos of that process in Wild Abandon. Take Don's friend and fellow commune founder Patrick, who builds himself a dome to live in only to find that conventional, flat furniture will not fit snugly against the dome's curved walls. Or Kate, Don and Freya's eldest child, who wonders how she can reveal her unconventional way of life to her boyfriend.
Now that Dunthorne is two books into his career, some Dunthornian themes are already becoming visible: Submarine orbited around a troubled adult relationship as seen through the eyes of its narrator, Oliver Tate, and now Wild Abandon presents us with the failing relationship between Don and Freya. What's more Don, as with Oliver's dad, is painfully, hilariously awkward. It would seem Dunthorne has a fascination for awkward fathers.
"Yes, the awkward dad thing," he smiles. "I'm sort of aware of things like that, but I don't really feel a huge amount of choice when it comes to what I write about. Ultimately, you have to give in to what really interests you, and it turns out some of that is consistent across time. I'm not embarrassed about the fact that I keep writing about families: that seems an endless vein for fiction.
"I very much admire a writer like David Mitchell, who genre-jumps and has a mastery of every mode he works in. But that's not easy. Still, my Mum did text me after reading this book to say: 'Can you maybe not write about parents next time?'"
If some of Dunthorne's interests are consistent, so is his brand of warm, acutely observed humour.
"It's not that I ever think, 'this page needs a joke', and decide to put one there," he says. "I think there's something hollow if you're just made to laugh, and then at the end you can't remember what it was all about.
"If a situation has the potential for comedy, I'll probably be drawn to pointing it out. It's just the natural way I write. But I hope that the jokes are in service of something larger."
Dunthorne sped towards the completion of Wild Abandon while the hoopla around the film release of Submarine was in full swing. The film was directed by Richard Ayoade - best known as Moss from Channel 4's IT Crowd - and Dunthorne declares himself delighted with the result.
"My expectation was that it might be a disaster," he concedes, "but as soon as I met Richard I knew the film was in good hands. I couldn't be happier with it."
Critics and audiences felt the same: the film received excellent reviews and solid ticket sales.
All this acclaim - the success of Submarine as book and film, and, now, excellent notices for Wild Abandon - surely means that the competitive streak that Dunthorne has spoken about in past interviews is assuaged, if only temporarily.
"You might think that," he smiles. "But a truly competitive person will always find more to compete for."
And so he is writing again.
"I don't know if it will become a full-length project yet, we'll have to see. This time around, I'm so much more relaxed than I was after Submarine.
"And so far, it doesn't have any parents in it. So I'm keeping my promise."
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Company%20profile
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
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Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (rated 72-87) Dh 165,000 1,600m.
Winner: Syncopation, George Buckell, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Big Brown Bear, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,200m.
Winner: Stunned, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap (85-105) Dh 210,000 2,000m.
Winner: New Trails, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
9.25pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,600m.
Winner: Pillar Of Society, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Company%20profile
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.