The Big Blind

Louise Wener

A long time ago in a Galaxy Far, Far away (okay it was this one and only about 11-12 years ago), inside the covers of NME magazine the cold war was being recreated between Blur and Oasis, deep inside that whole Indie/Brit Pop scene was a band lead by an angel sent down from the heavens, whilst the others bands around the time abused each other she sang about having sex and urban myths to do with the Apollo 11 moon landing, the band were called Sleeper, and her name was Louise Wener.

For many of us students who had an A1 poster of the band on our wall at university and regularly banged one off the wrist to her shapely figure, it’s always been one of those burning questions “what ever happened to Louise Wener?” Well the answer is fairly simple, she became a fictional writer and is currently working on her fourth book.

I decided to plunge in and break my Wener virginity (if only) with her second book; named “The Big Blind” this is based around Poker*.

The story is written in the first person and centred on Audrey Unger; we join her life as she’s fast approaching her 33rd birthday, having dreams about threesomes with Bono and The Edge from U2. It’s obvious something is missing in her life, her mother is now deceased and her father left them when she was nine years old. It’s not too difficult to work out what she is looking for is her father.

The characterisation is simply brilliant, you really get immersed into Audrey’s life, her childhood is very sad, the circumstances around which her father left her, the bullying from her twin step brothers, her brilliant Mathematical brain earning a GCSE aged just fourteen to when she rebels against the system and subsequent arrest. Her quick-witted current day demeanour is very funny, and her mannerisms actually remind me of an ex-girlfriend to the point where I start to fancy the character in the book (this probably speaks more about me however). Audrey ends up by chance in the flat of an morbidly obese American suffering from Agoraphobia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder named Big Louie, the outcome being he has not left his home for nearly twenty years.

Audrey’s father was a gambler; Big Louie is a card player of some repute. Since Louie was left this London flat after his wife died he’s made his money from a mixture of poker tuition, winning his home games and the Internet. On learning about Big Louie’s background Audrey sets out to use Louie to learn the game as a way of trying to track down her father.

Wener’s style is superb, the scene setting really immerses you in the book, and the dialogue is as times laugh out loud funny. I got stuck in the middle of nowhere on a business trip and basically read this in a couple of days, I literally couldn’t put it down the only bad thing I’d say was the final poker scene, but it’s a pet hate with all poker movies, books, television scenes where suddenly values bet are moved away from table stakes. That said it doesn’t detract from what is a very amusing, feel good book. I heartily recommend it to anyone especially anyone looking for something in the poker genre.

NB* There is one particular member of the SMBU writing team who will be tutting and looking away at not only my choice in novel but my love of the game. In a way it’s because of his disapproving eye that I chose this particular book. This review’s for you buddy!

29.01.2008. 09:15

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