The cause of the consternation is 'Animal QC: My Preposterous Life' by Gary Bell, published by Monday Books It says it's an autobiography, but this rip roaring tale of a life less ordinary can't possibly be true. Can it?
Mr Bell is the most unlikely barrister you're ever going to meet. Far from the silver-spooned toff of the stereotype, he was born to teenage parents and began life in a condemned Nottingham slum. Although the family escaped the city for the mining town of Cotgrave, life was far from easy and money was often short. Despite showing promise, unimaginative careers advisors and an old fashioned working class attitude to education meant that he left school without taking exams. Everyone expected him to follow his father down the pit, but his fear of the dark meant he lasted just one day. A decade of short lived employment, strange strokes of luck and homelessness later and the boy was back in town and ready to start again as a mature student. Living proof that hard work, dogged determination and just enough cheek can get you through, 'Animal QC' is a funny, inspirational and ridiculously preposterous story.
I absolutely loved this book, but it's so unusual, I really don't know where to start! Never has the phrase 'you couldn't make it up' seemed more appropriate nor a single paragraph so far from enough to summarise a story.
Top barristers need to be great (and convincing) storytellers and Mr Bell must be one of the best. 'Animal QC' is engaging, charming and even jaw dropping, a well written page turner that made me want to keep reading. His 'warts and all' attitude (which means he covers his major embarrassments as well as his greatest successes) keep the narrative on the right side of smug and when he touches on controversial topics, the reader is reminded that it's based on his own, personal experiences.
The tone changes as he begins to talk about his casework and the pace slows slightly, but 'Animal QC' remains intriguing for a whole new set of reasons. While I think the book in general could be an inspiration to anyone who thinks that where they start is where they'll stay, the later chapters would be of particular interest to people interested in the criminal law and the legal process.
Overall, I can't recommend 'Animal QC' enough. The paperback is due out at the beginning of March, so look out for it then. Hopefully we'll find it in 'Biography'...
