I had a bit of difficulty getting into Tunnel Vision, but - and I actually paused midway through to give this some thought - I don't think it was necessarily the fault of the book.Over the last few years, there has been a proliferation of what could be dubbed 'bet books', where the author embarks on some barmy challenge and then charts the weird and wacky events en route. From playing the Moldovans at tennis to finding people with the same name as yourself, it's become its own genre - not that that's always a bad thing. There's been some fine and funny writing in such novels and, given the nature of my own book challenge, it's hardly as if I'm well placed to be too critical...
Anyway, Tunnel Vision is the tale of a man's attempt to travel round the entire London underground network the day before his wedding, solving various challenges en route and, of course, realising along the way that none of it is worth the risk of losing the one he loves.
Most importantly, it's a work of fiction - and this proved to be the route of my problem, because it took me about two chapters to realise. In hindsight, it's fairly obvious, and I'm not sure what that says about me and the speed of my uptake. But having given it some thought, it must be to the author's credit, because there is no question his aim is to mimic this genre.
The book's greatest success and moments come in this early stage, with the onset of the challenge coupled with some really interesting historical and random information about the Tube itself.
Unfortunately, while the pace hots up towards midnight and the end of the bet draws ever nearer, it doesn't sustain that interest and is too often quirky, rather than funny. I also found the lead character's fiancée, with whom you are supposed to sympathise, completely dislikeable.
So, rating time:
#8 Tunnel Vision, by Keith Lowe (Simon & Schuster) - 6/10
Next up: Arctic Drift, by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Penguin Group)
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