The SF Site Featured Review: Love in the Time of Fridges

Love in the Time of Fridges

Tim Scott

Bantam Spectra, 365 pages

Tim Scott
Tim Scott graduated from Cambridge University, England, and decided to use his education to work a plasterer, decorator and delivery driver. He writing career began with a training video which warned office staff that falling over could be dangerous. He then went on to write and appear on BBC Radio 4 in around fifty comedy half hours -- and finally ended up being given his own late night comedy television series on network ITV.

He has written a large number of children's books, and also for children's television. More recently, he became a television director and, in 2003, won a BAFTA for co writing and directing a children's series, "Ripley and Scuff," for the BBC.

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A review by John Enzinas

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Love in the Time of Fridges is the story of Huckleberry Lindbergh, an ex-Cop who returns to New Seattle after an 8-year self-imposed exile following the death of his wife. The world that the author has created for this story is an absurdist exaggeration of the Nanny State with forced health and safety checks to encourage people to get rid of sharp corners and a massive computer that can detect people about to do something stupid.

Thanks to a random police stop, Huck is pulled into a plot to liberate a group of fridges and take them to freedom in Mexico. Soon he is on the run from the police, the Fridge Patrol and New Seattle Health and Safety all the while ubiquitous ads where the Mayor admonishes the citizens to "Not to die for no reason. I mean, what's the point?"

This book reminded me a great deal of the writing of Michael Marshal Smith, whose writing I love. The majority of the book was written from Huck's perspective which occasional tangents to supporting characters. There were little bits of throwaway weirdness such as the coffee tables abandoned for trying to sell shoddy financial products or the "Quantum Physics Pizza Delivery Company." Lastly there was the twist about two thirds of the way through the book where you discover that the story is actually about something else.

I was caught up in the story quite quickly both thanks to the bits of weirdness and the familiarity of the style. It was only after finished that I though about how undeveloped the other characters were, especially the romantic lead. I realized that the supporting cast was not the point of the story. Love in the Time of Fridges is a retelling of the Monomyth with Huck playing the role of the Hero. Nena, the love interest plays not the Goddess or Temptress but rather the Mentor. All of the events in the book are not things meant to be dealt with but rather steps along his journey.

If you are looking for a well developed supporting cast or a story that is moderately paced, this is likely not the book for you. However, if you are looking for an wonderful take on the Hero's Journey with fridges who love to sing, this is definitely worth a look.

John Enzinas reads frequently and passionately. In his spare time he plays with swords.