The Groggy Squirrel

Red’s Playground for Disobedient Dinosaurs marks the first novel from Australian based comedian Mark Butler. Set in his native England, this book tells the story of Red, an unmotivated drifter who finds himself, unexpectedly, teaching Mathematics at a posh secondary school.

This is a story of the mix between human nature and second chances. Red, is full of vices: gambling, booze, women and inherent laconic apathy. He typifies the kind of character within most of us, who sees the world around him as a facilitator, enabling him to contemplate and indulge his real passions in life. Red’s character and background is exposed gradually throughout the course of the book and we get snippets of his life slow leaked out to us as we follow his adventures. As his identity unfolds, he becomes an eminently likeable character. He is an unlikely hero, with his nobility lying in his readily identifiable desire to make life for himself and those who are closest to him work out ‘right’, and his oh so human tendency to sabotage all his own efforts. Although a decidedly solitary creature, happier to contemplate the intricacies of mathematics or the genealogy of dinosaurs, Red is surrounded by characters who infiltrate his life, bringing out a plethora of response in him. Both Red’s job and the people that occupy the space around him, manage to attach themselves to him in ways which you imagine he couldn’t have predicted.

These characters, including Lucy, the tempting but independent minded object of Red’s fascination, Lang, the somewhat naïve but ambition colleague and Robert, the perfect example of young manhood who becomes the nemesis of the lead character, are as equally well played out as Red, with complexity and contradiction. In many ways, Mark Butler’s characters are typified by their lack of typification.

The game of chance plays a large role in this novel. It is both an enduring theme and works beautifully as a metaphor for the ultimate outcome of each of these intricately interwoven characters.

Don’t expect laugh a minute, pithy one liners here. This is a book that utilises humour in terms of dry dialogue and poignant observations, and it is all the better for it. Mark Butler takes us on an intriguing and telling journey in this novel, a story of how lives intertwine and destroy each other. This is a tale of self destruction and unlikely salvation. Red’s Playground for Disobedient Dinosaurs is highly recommended, especially for anyone who’s ever had a vice.

To buy Red’s Playground for Disobedient Dinosaurs go to Mark Butler’s website