[Takk]

and a review taken from rel's post here (not sure who wrote it?):

http://foreverdelayed.org.uk/forum/s...73&postcount=1

Manic Streets of Perth - Review
Books about the Manics are few and far between, in the meantime, you might settle for a story about a Manics fan.

Manic Streets of Perth by Dave Franklin


Paul Lewis 'The Welsh Rainbow' is a misanthropic, dyspeptic Welshman, who has escaped from the gloom and rain of his native land to the sun, sand and seagulls of Perth, Australia. Kim Jones is a native Perthian, young, pretty, and working as the PR person for Perth Animal Protection. Kim might also be the unluckiest Manics fan alive, having missed the 1999 Big Day Out gig after a bizarre telephone related accident.

The story follows Paul's realisation that his life could be better if he embraced his new environment instead of mocking it, and his subsequent growing fondness for Kim. His attempts to win her attention range between deluded, touching and mind-numbingly stupidly courageous, foiled at every turn by his basic lack of understanding of what drives her. His ace cards are an interview he did with Manic Street Preachers in 1994, and a signed copy of The Holy Bible. Kim, already dogged by a string of bad luck that any Manics fan will sympathise with, is further hounded by a psychopathic habitual criminal and his omnivorous python.

The storytelling is deft, sweet and funny; Brookmyre-esque without the gore, and is recommended. Manics fans, especially Richeyites, will enjoy the frequent references to the band, and the recurring theme of Kim's obsession with 'Small Black Flowers'.

A sub-plot concerns Kim's father, his incredible run of bad luck, and his membership of a club for unfortunately named individuals. I got the feeling that the whole sub-plot could be disposed of without hurting the main story at all, it provided a few laughs about people with silly names, and contrasted Kim's belief in her own misery with the story of a man who has truly experienced bad fortune. Having said that, it doesn't spoil the main story at all, merely fails to mesh with it in a satisfying way.

In summary, Manic Streets of Perth is an appealing, enjoyable not-quite-love-story.

Manic Streets of Perth is the first story in Dave Franklin's 'Manic Streets of Perth' anthology, published in Australia by Baby Ice Dog Press, ISBN 0-9580061-1-3 and available from www.booktopia.com.au, www.bookworm.com.au, www.angusrobertson.com.au, or order through your local bookstore. The other stories in the anthology are 'Looking for Sarah Jane Smith' and 'To Dare A Future'.