Time: late 80s. Location: London, no longer swinging. Sound track: "The Smiths". My most cherished memories: punk rock of the second half of the 70s. Pianist William moved from provincial Sheffield to the capital, aspiring to become a famous musician, but his melodic dance songs performed by rather hopeless associates are more like parodies of Status Quo. His mysterious lover Madeline treats him strangely. The director of his group is engaged in an unclear business, most likely illegal. Carla, the girl who inexplicably attracts William to her, is clearly a brilliant singer, but she just doesn’t want to sing with him. Frustration, confusion, everything is difficult. And to top it all off, William accidentally witnesses a terrible murder committed by the nightmarish “Dwarves of Death”, but he can easily be blamed for it... Jonathan Coe wrote one of the best novels about music and painful youth in the big city. If you've ever traveled on public transport with a heavy synthesizer in your hands, this novel is just for you. If not, you will still understand how one direction and generation in rock music replaces another, sometimes by force.