Strange Nervous Laughter: A Novel


He watches their hands shake as they silently tell themselves, unwittingly in unison, Time to go, hurry the fuck up! And finally watches as they scan the shop one last time. Then the more confident man, the one in the blue hoody, grabs a Bar One from the check-out counter and tears it open with his teeth. Meryl, unharmed, stands up and makes pointed eye contact with Mdu. Mdu finally picks up the bunch of grapes, crumples to the ground and slowly starts eating them, not tasting anything but the lingering bitterness of cowardice. Beth, the cashier, hugging herself tightly with her arms across her chest.

Eyes wide and still terrified, forehead crumpled in despair, mouth open mid-sob. Mdu, the grape-eater, sitting on the floor with his elbows on his knees. Meryl, one hand on the door, the other tightening the laces of her stiff corset, glancing at Mdu with an undisguised look of disgust.

Pravesh, a young Indian man, sits on a bench under the large ficus on the opposite side of the road, reading the In Memorium notices in the newspaper, his knees pleasurably tingling as they are wont to do in the proximity of death. Aisha, a beautiful black girl, walks past on her way to work, staring dreamily at the clouds gathering overhead, wrapped up in a private dream world.

And Harry, the local garbage man, stands on the edge of his truck just over there, sifting through an overfull black plastic bag.

Strange Nervous Laughter

Sure, they all seem preoccupied. A few thoughts on relationships. One or two fervently held hopes of not dying alone. But rather about love; and what can happen to it when combined with the hottest summer Durban has ever known. Please register or log in to comment. Remember me Forgotten password? Enter your username or email address and we'll send you reset instructions Username or Email: Here is an exclusive excerpt: Prologue There are three states of love. Especially, you might say, the latter. Mdu forgets how to breathe.

Strange Nervous Laughter by Bridget McNulty

Mdu does not want to be that one. Instead, he remains frozen. He grins mockingly at Mdu and takes a bite. Pussy , he thinks. A bird starts singing outside the door. For a moment, the air in the shop stings with relief. What do we see? And outside the shop, outside where the world continues as if nothing has happened? Because, despite its inauspicious beginning, this is not a tale about crime.

Exclusive Excerpt from Strange Nervous Laughter – a Book About Love

Strange Nervous Laughter [Bridget McNulty] on donnsboatshop.com Strange Nervous Laughter: A Novel and millions of other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Strange Nervous Laughter has ratings and 26 reviews. whales, a garbage man with a peculiar sense of smell, and a Guinness Book of World Records.

Nor about the daily woes of living in South Africa. Did you like this article?

Paperback Editions

Share it Print this article Email this article. Find the best price online! Pippa Hudson in conversation with Arundhati Roy Launch: Penguin SA posts by category: All book excerpts remain copyright their authors. Beyond that, definitely an interesting read, and some great writing about human relationships, pain, and people doing things that they maybe don't want to do but can't seem to help themselves.

It's worth reading for some if tha This book was, first off, weird. It's worth reading for some if that and for the quirkiness of the characters, as long as you don't mind hearing about the heat.

Hardback Editions

Sep 02, P. Find the best price online! The magical realism lead me to believe that the book would be a little more uplifting than it was. Strange Nervous Laughter 3. I don't believe you for a second. Mdu is the only other customer in the shop. Discover what to read next.

Is South Africa a really weird place? I kind of want to go to Durban now to find out. Sep 26, Shana rated it liked it. Now, having finished it, I think that I did like it. Part of that is probably because the characters are just so hopelessly lo I finished Strange Nervous Laughter by Bridget McNulty last night.

Part of that is probably because the characters are just so hopelessly lovable. Feb 10, Charlotte B rated it liked it Shelves: This was a very strange read, with elements of the supernatural involved.

BOOK REVIEW Strange Nervous Laughter by Bridger McNulty

I thought the characters were quite interesting and not something that you typically see in Chick Lit. It did remind me of Christopher Moore in that the characters are all a little off in someway and as they find their way to love, they become "normal". I can't wait to read the next one by this author as I was a little sad when this one ended.

Nov 09, Tanith rated it it was amazing. I couldn't put it down and I'm so happy that it is a South African author. The characters lives intertwine in such a way that you start living their lives. My favourite character is Meryl who is bound in her corset of cynicism, but at some point this corset begins to unravel and she doesn't know how to fix the hole in her armour.

I am dying to read this book again. It was light hearted and enlightening. Oct 12, Allison rated it really liked it. I randomly picked up this book at the library and really enjoyed it. The way the author describes and develops the characters and teaches lessons about love is rather clever and charming.

I really appreciated her writing style. Sep 02, P. This book was cute, I liked its light magic. And I know Bridget is a lovely person. There was just no way I was going to finish it, though. The omniscient narrator was too eager and perky for me. Sep 01, Ashley rated it it was amazing. I just started reading it, but I love everything about it. The characters all have something special about them. I especially love Harry who has the ability to attract broken things Jan 15, Claire rated it it was ok Shelves: There are wonderful images in this grim little book of love.

Lovers leaving trails of honeysuckle as they travel through South Africa.

See a Problem?

A man who attracts broken things. A woman who fixes broken men. The writing is wonderful-the stories sad. Based in my hometown- Durban. Mar 15, Michelle rated it it was amazing. Picked this book up at random while at the library. It was bizarre but I turned out to love the characters and their quirky characteristics.

Oct 31, Jo Ann Fishburn rated it liked it. Definitely a bit strange.

  1. Strange Nervous Laughter: A Novel - Bridget McNulty - Google Книги.
  2. Down South: One Tour in Vietnam.
  3. The Lady Oriana.
  4. The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Story of Philosophers, God, and Evil!
  5. Tower of Babel.
  6. @ Sunday Times Books LIVE;
  7. Archibald Wavell: The Life and Times of an Imperial Servant.

Unusual characters with some magical traits amidst more common ones. It held my interest, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. Nov 30, Diana rated it really liked it. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It's a little bit of magical realism, South Africa style.

  1. Huella en las hojas (Colección Poesía Contemporánea) (Spanish Edition)!
  2. BOOK REVIEW Strange Nervous Laughter by Bridger McNulty - Travel Blog!
  3. Exclusive Excerpt from Strange Nervous Laughter – a Book About Love | Penguin SA!

Unusual portraits of early relationships and where they go wrong--or right. Aug 02, Patti marked it as to-read. Nov 30, Aschoen2 rated it it was amazing. Feb 15, Fiona rated it it was ok. I really don't know what to say. This book was weird. There were parts that I found enduring, mostly found it to be just really strange. Also was really wordy with description. This book was an enjoyable read The magical realism lead me to believe that the book would be a little more uplifting than it was.

May 19, Anne rated it it was amazing. Interview with author Bridget McNulty coming soon at http: Dec 01, Scarlett Pulsipher rated it it was amazing Shelves: It's weird, it's about love.