Stephen Fry is a wit par excellence, and has a way with words. The book reflects this, and is full of fun scenes, jokes, puns. And sex, the book is chock-full of sex.The problem with this book, however, is it doesn't know what it is. It can't decide if it's a nostalgic look at the sexual awakening of a young lad, or a cloak-and-dagger spy thriller with a funky twist or two. Thus, it ends up being mostly the former, with the latter clumsily super-imposed. This indecision makes the spy plot hard to follow, and leaves the romantic plot unresolved. It's a shame, really, because both plots show promise; the young-lad story is truly heart-wrenchingly nostalgic and well portrayed, and the spy-thriller story is an original one which deserves further development. Plot problems aside, the book is a good read: humorous, intelligent, and sexy, just like Fry himself.Also by Stephen Fry: The Stars' Tennis Balls (Cath)
