I’ve always been interested in politics which is why when I saw a book by Boris Johnson on the bookshelf in my library, I knew that I had to read it, mostly because I knew that anything written by the Mayor of London had to be side-splittingly hilarious. And it was.
In the worst security breach in centuries (perhaps since Spencer Perceval, the Prime Minister at the time, was assassinated in 1812 as he entered the House of Commons) a group of terrorists enter Westminster, aided by the blunders of a Tory MP, security guards and the best sharpshooters from Britain and America, to name a few. The fact that the book was written way back in 2004 (I know it might feel like yesterday) doesn’t stop it from being topical today as it examines the ideologies of the would-be Jihadis.
Had it have been written by any other author, Seventy-Two Virgins could be taken as being moderately offensive but Johnson’s characteristic charm and wit make it hilarious and satirical. The character whose mistakes prove almost fatal is perhaps the most hilarious. His name is Roger Barlow and he’s an eccentric MP with a passion for bicycles (and a mistress who the country is about to learn about in the morning newspaper) as well as a sharp mind and a classical education. Does that sound familiar? I think that what makes the book so special and amusing is the fact that it is mocking everyone; it doesn’t stop at the ludicrous ideologies of the terrorists, Johnson mocks everyone including himself.
Whilst the book certainly has pace, when you’re reading it, you get the sense that it just isn’t going fast enough as you read a scene about how the terrorist plot is progressing. This is irritating but it enhances the suspense when the terrorists finally make it within the heavily-policed confines of Westminster Palace and, whilst I won’t give the ending away, it really helps to build up to the final climax.
I have to say that the book is hilarious and when I was reading it in Heathrow Airport the other day, I think I might have alarmed a few passengers by laughing quite loudly at some of the books funniest moments. The ability to turn a highly sensitive and serious topic into something easy and fun to read is a true art which is why I enjoyed Seventy-Two Virgins more than many other books that I’ve ever read.
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
