Pop-splat simply blew my mind.
If Quentin Tarantino wrote a book, this would probably be it.
Pop-splat follows the life of Matt Dreyer, a troubled young man who becomes deeply upset by the suspicious murder of his father Bruce in a Johannesburg hijacking. Young Matt is launched into the search for justice - a reckless, crazy and shocking ride through South Africa and its twisted landscape of crime, violence, social injustice and greed.
Ian Martin's third novel is incredibly easy to read (as long as you have a reasonably strong stomach) and wildly entertaining. It is shocking at times (it digs into everything from inept police to religion) with liberal doses of violence and swearing, but this keeps you on the very edge of your seat.
The book mixes black comedy and satire into the murder and mayhem, which will often leave you laughing in shock.
Unlike most page-turners there is also substance behind a lot of the action and Pop-splat deals with a lot of thought-provoking contemporary issues that people all over the world, not just in South Africa, can relate to.
In short, this is a highly entertaining novel that deftly blends crime and violence together with satire and commentary. A refreshing must-read.
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