The Coincidence Authority – JW Ironmonger
I bought this novel because it had a pretty cover – this image doesn’t do the blue justice.
Here is the blurb …
One seagull and four pieces of bread decide the course of one person’s life. But is the rest just coincidence? THE COINCIDENCE AUTHORITY combines the ideas of David Mitchell or Hanif Kureishi with the warmth of David Nicholls or Marina Lewycka.
Thomas Post is an expert on coincidence. He’s an authority. Every coincidence, he says, can be explained by the cold laws of chance. But why then do coincidences so afflict the life of Azalea Lewis? And why has Thomas Post’s orderly life been thrown into such disarray by the coincidences of Azalea?
This is the tale of two lost souls, each with a quest to understand the secret patterns hidden in a very random universe. It is the story of the short but eventful life of Azalea Lewis, a foundling child discovered at a travelling fair; and it is the unfolding story of Thomas Post who looks for patterns in a haphazard world, and who finds his belief in the fabric of life challenged by Azalea. From the windswept tranquillity of a Manx village, to the commuter swarms of London, to the brutal abduction of child soldiers in Africa, this is a search for truth, a search for God, a search for love, and a search for a decent pizza in North London.
This was a lovely story – despite awful things happening (although they mostly happened off screen so to speak). Azalea tracks down Thomas (the coincidence expert) because she thinks what is happening to her is more than coincidence. Coincidentally they have ‘meet’ before they were both involved in an escalator accident! Anyway, they fall in love (no spoiler there), but it can’t be because Azalea believes in fate, destiny and Thomas does not.
This was a well-written, fun, quick and easy read.
More reviews …
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/14/coincidence-authority-ironmonger-review
http://beingannereading.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/review-coincidence-authority-by-jw.html