An award winning book and this time I can totally see why it won. The book is based in a small dive of a theatre as we watch a comedian falling apart on stage, the "sadness of a clown" is captured spot on. Dov is our comedian and what starts out as a standard show soon goes belly up as the hecklers kick off, Dov doesn't seem healthy either. As the show goes on Dov loses his grip more and more as his jokes become darker and the flashbacks to a scene in his early life become more prominent. This is where the book wins its award it stays inside the dive but somehow transports you elsewhere to experience Dov's tragic upbringing, with Dov telling the odd joke to keep you tethered in the dive.

The writing is top notch and Dov's meltdown is mesmerising, you really feel for the guy as people heckle or leave and as the story comes to the end you find yourself on the edge of your set with the few remaining audience members who are left. And as for the jokes Dov tells? They are not Christmas cracker friendly that's for sure. :-)

Blog review: felcherman.wordpress.com/2019/12/19/a-horse-walks-into-a-bar-by-david-grossman/