There’s a stubborn streak of Scotland that runs right through this book. From the title to its main protagonist, Campbell Flynn, a man who loves to take his pin and prick the pomposity of his counterparts, Flynn is a man who complicates this story with his Scottishness.

Campbell Flynn is celebrated for his intellectual bonhomie. A man from working class Glaswegian roots, he bettered himself by going to Cambridge, making a whole new set and class of friends and ultimately, marrying a Countess’s daughter.

An art historian, he made a name for himself writing a biography of Vermeer which was very well received, though not the money making exercise he might have preferred. Now he lectures at University College and pens articles for magazines, newspapers and even hosts a podcast. He is ‘the writer in vogue’. To make money he has written a truly terrible self- help book in which he has no belief at all. Why Men Weep in Cars has been written with pop psychology in mind to cater for all those men who believe sheds are the answer and self-help groups to talk about ‘men’s issues’ will recommend it as being in touch with the male zeitgeist.

Caledonian Road is that North London Road that spreads out over a mile and then some and which has a poor stretch and a rich stretch. Its diversity should be its strength as different purveyors of wealth, class and experience intermix along its path.

So you get the sense straight away that this large tome of a book is epic in scale and that’s certainly true. The cast of characters is large and many of them are especially unpleasant. It’s easy to see why some have compared this to a modern Dickensian London novel.

Andrew O’Hagan doesn’t hold back from dealing with contemporary issues. From money laundering to Russian influence; from sweatshops to slave labour, from corrupt police to corrupt politicians and from Brexit to the aristocracy, O’Hagan has something to say about them all with a hard hitting, scalpel wielding ferocity that leaves few standing unblemished.

Campbell Flynn’s bonhomie stems from the fact that he does not take himself seriously. He’s just had fun writing a piece for the Atlantic magazine on liberal guilt and why it is a conceit, which has stirred up controversy among the liberal elite.

Milo Manghasa is a former student of Flynn’s. He grew up on Caledonian Road. He had an Irish father and despite being from the poor side of the road, he has gained a Masters in Computer Science. Campbell grew up in a Glasgow council house, and Milo still lives with his father in council housing. His mother was an Ethiopian immigrant and a teacher and community activist in the area. Both men have childhood friends who are involved in ev il deeds. Both have connections to all sorts of people, nobility, human traffickers, mobsters, artists, and drug dealers. Despite the differences in their backgrounds now, Campbell Flynn sees something of himself in Milo and the pair has developed a good natured verbal sparring relationship.

Milo challenges Flynn and Flynn delights in those challenges, even when they lead to Milo diverting funds from Flynn’s account into various charitable projects.

Milo has a theory; ‘We are who we know’ and although that works both ways – Milo’s closest friends are a drug dealer who carries a weapon and his girlfriend, Gosia, who is the sister of a drug dealer and human trafficker. Campbell however, has friends who are significantly more criminal. William, his best friend, is being investigated for business-related crimes, including running sweatshops. His sister-in-law is married to a Duke whose offences could be even more loathsome.

O’Hagan makes the connections between rich and poor; between Russian oligarchs and Brexit; between police and political corruption.

O’Hagan takes massive swipes at everything that is our contemporary society. From the aforementioned corruption to the phenomenon that is algorithmically generated playlists. No target is too big or too small to come under his biting wit and sarcastic scrutiny.

On the whole, the women in this novel get off more lightly than the men. They appear more as cyphers; beautiful and clever or unpleasant and out for what they can get; but this is a book that’s more about men than women, because it is still men who run the world.

Caledonian Road is an angry book; one which looks at London and breaks open the heart of corruption in our society; watching it move from the old con tricks to the new ones. How we move from money laundering to deep-fakes and from bitcoin to old money no longer matters – very little has meaning or value any more.

Verdict: In so many ways this book is a tour de force and you should undoubtedly read it. For me, it was a little too long and though epic, it lacked a true empathetic character I could look to in order to find hope. Perhaps that is, after all, the message of this beautifully written, acerbic and astounding novel?

I think this book is really special.

For me, what O'Hagan did exceptionally well was how he portrayal his characters. He depicts characters who aren't wholly good or bad, but people who show both traits. We see reasons feeding their behaviour and even when we can't empathise, we can understand, most of the time.

The characters are trying to exist in a post covid, post brexit Britain, mainly London. I felt for characters that I didnt like and that takes pretty clever writing in my opinion. I wanted some people to get their comeuppance, but I still felt for them (mostly).

I enjoyed the novel's scope and observations on art, corruption, feminism, racism, nationalism, migration, Britain, the class system, change and so much more.

From a personal perspective, I never wholeheartedly got behind any of the characters, and at times the cerebral journey of the characters over plot slowed down my enthusiasm. But I think this novel is a modern classic in the making. I've already preordered a copy for my shelves and a gift for future me.

2.5

I truly struggled with this tome. I read it 30 pages at a time because it addled my brain if I tried to read more. I know I'm in a minority (because I've looked at other reviews and ratings) but this just wasn't for me. I thought it was trying so terribly hard to be all things to all people.

We had Campbell Flynn and his wife Elizabeth who were both academically minded and talked in long, linguistically clever sentences about art in all its forms. We got Yuri and Aleksandr Bykov, the Russians who pulled the strings thanks to all their dodgy laundered money and fingers in every illegal pie going. We had the Duke of Kendal and his wife Candy who represented the landed gentry. Then there was Mrs Krupka who wasn't keen on other immigrants coming to England, along with her son, who organised illegal immigration, drug farms and sweat shops. Finally we had Milo and his girlfriend, Gosia who were the cast as disrupters but were, in fact, simply thieves who wanted to bring down the old guard and redirect their money to "worthy causes" (ie themselves and people like them).

I got lost in who was who, who was doing what to who, what everyone was talking about and what the point was that the book was trying to make.

I'm a fan of translated novels and books about places I've never been to and their culture. This often involves a lot of googling when words or cultural references are unclear. There were lots of things in this book that I didn't understand -- the difference was that after the first hundred pages I couldn't really be bothered to find out.

Just not for me. I gave it two and a half stars because I finished it, it didn't give me too much of a headache and I enjoyed some parts of it.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the advance review copy.

Caledonian Road is a contemporary read set against the backdrop of London's diverse and vibrant Caledonian Road that depicts British society in the early 2020s. The book discusses issues such as class inequalities and political corruption to the impact of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic… to name just a few!

Even though it's a serious book, Caledonian Road is worth a read. it’s written in a way that's both smart and darkly humorous. It definitely makes you think about society and the challenges faced by everyday people!

I adore O’Hagan. He is an epic writer, always current relevant and thrilling. The relationships and brokenness of the characters always trying to find or redeem themselves in settings we can all relate to.

Just superb thanks

This was huge. But in being a fan of his previous work, and the way O'Hagan handles the human condition, I was left a little flat in the end.

Was the novel too long, or could we have gone further with a smaller cast of characters? Either way, a modern Dickensian, and I can appreciate the lengths O'Hagan reached for because I do believe he's an excellent author, and there are glimpses within these pages of it don't get me wrong.

I will definitely recommend this to our Australian readers and know in a few years O'Hagan will return with a smaller, concise novel that will ultimately be THE one. I can feel it.

After Mayflies, Andrew O'Hagan immerses the reader in contemporary London, the global nature of the community, specifically of the vivid, varied quality of Caledonian Road location and the changes it has incurred. It is epic in scale, something you get an immediate grasp of this when right at the start, you are given the list of the huge cast of characters from disparate backgrounds that inhabit this cutting edge, satirical, state of the nation book, with its Victorian feel. It hits hard the nails on the head (and the coffin) in the illuminating picture it paints of Britain today. It lays bare the establishment, culture, power, class inequalities, secrets, crime, the normalisation of a political culture of corruption, money, scandal, academia, the impact of Russian oligarchs, exploitation, slavery, and so much more, as it opens in 2021.

The middle aged University College 'academic' art historian, Campbell Flynn, has written a well received biography on Vermeer, having come a long way from his working class Glasgow roots, he has no PhD and delivers a series of lectures at University College, with no marking involved. He married into minor aristocracy, his writings driven by financial needs, has 2 grown up children, a dubious best friend, sister Moira is an MP, and has an elderly Daily Mail reading tenant whose home is infested with rats. His state of mind greases the path for him to open up to a student, the intelligent Milo Mangasha, working class as Flynn once was, with his challenging perspectives, their worlds colliding, leading to the consequences that flow on from this.

There is a humanity and dark humour in the author's stylish, smart, engaging, beautifully written, and witty read that captivates throughout, the liberal guilt, explicitly drawing connections, the inter-relationships, the incorporation of recent key events, the creation of the many revolting characters, and pressing urgent issues of the day, that you simply do not notice its long length. It is hard to do justice to this relevant and compulsive novel, with its wonderful dialogue and terrific skewering one liners, set amidst the background of the likes of Covid and Brexit, but I have no doubt it will be successful upon publication. What I will say is that I loved it and its ability to hone in with skill, imagination, and thought on the London and Britain of today. A Highly recommended must read. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

"He wanted life to be like an artwork, and it never quite is."

Caledonian Road, set in 2021, covers the lives of a diverse group of people living on or around the long road in Islington. It covers an impressively large range of topics including class, corruption, race and power within the UK, mostly focusing on London. There were so many elements of this book that intrigued me and that I enjoyed; it is scathing and unflinching in how far it goes to critique the inner workings of politics and at times is very insightful and powerful.

However, I found that I wasn't rushing to pick it up each time I read it and personally I don't think it needed to be as long as it was, with some elements feeling unnecessarily drawn out. Part of this may be the fact that I am a mood reader and it may be that this just wasn't the type of book I was going to hugely enjoy at the time I read it. This definitely hasn't put me off reading Andrew O'Hagan's other work and I've been meaning to pick up Mayflies for a long time. Big thanks to Netgalley and Faber for letting me read the ARC of this.

The publisher’s blurb calls Caledonian Road a “state-of-the-nation novel”, and that is precisely what it is. Opening in May of 2021 and covering nearly a year — from the loosening of pandemic restrictions to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — big events play out in the background as a wide range of characters experience life in the heart of London in ways that precisely capture the mood of our times: this is one of those rare novels that I can imagine people reading long into the future to see how we lived and thought in this moment. Author Andrew O’Hagan explores issues of class and race and justice along Caledonian Road’s mile and a half length — a North London thoroughfare famous for its high ethnic diversity and staggering disparity of wealth — and through conversations held between a variety of characters, a large breadth of ideas are offered and challenged. This is epic in scope and succeeds completely. This will, no doubt, be huge for O’Hagan upon release in 2024 and I am grateful for the early access.

I found this book difficult. It's brilliantly written with amazing insights both big and small that resonate and are both amusing and interesting. However, the characters are incredibly unlikeable and unsympathetic, so although I struggled through the book, enjoying some parts of it more than other, I really didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to. I am a fan of Andrew O'Hagan so I'm putting it down to my headspace while reading this specific book.

In my last review I expressed my disappointment that the author had situated their novel in a timeless, place-less bubble. Well, this novel more than made up for it. It is rooted firmly in London - the title refers to a rood just north of Kings Cross, an area that has been transformed in the last decade into a shopping destination, a high-end collection of speciality stores that cater to people with style and money. Campbell and Milo both live close to Caledonian Road, but are from very different backgrounds. Professor Campbell is known for his biography of Vermeer, and moves in circles which include politicians, authors and academics. His son is a DJ and daughter a model and although he was born in a high-rise in Glasgow, he is now related by marriage to minor aristocracy. One of his young students, Milo Mangasha, lives in a flat with his widowed dad and went to the local primary school, where his mum used to teach. He deals in cryptocurrencies and moves easily between his university life and the turf wars of his Caledonian Road friends. The two start to spend time together and their lives and worlds intertwine, revealing inequality, corruption and the threads that run through the communities of London.

The author draws on very recent historical events, including similar incidents and what was particularly notable is that two of these events occurred again whilst I was reading this novel. O’Hagen is writing about important, urgent issues that we are still dealing with and the specificity brings this slap-bang into the present, making this a very pertinent novel. It’s a real page turner with huge cast of characters to be entertained by, to love and to disagree violently with. I would thoroughly recommend this book to any adult who enjoys a good story which illuminates many of the issues that our country faces.

A fantastic new state-of-the-nation epic from Andrew O'Hagan. A snapshot of the varied lives of those living around the mile and a half long Caledonian Road. It cover a range of topics including class, race, migrant labour, corruption, gang violence, and Russian money.

Brilliantly written and sure to be one that will be read over and over for years to come.

Thank you for the advanced copy, I have read all previous work by Andrew O'Hagan and was pleased to get an advanced copy of this.
This is truly a state of the nation novel set on Caledonian Road, which is an area that is very diverse and covers a year starting from May 2021 which is during the COVID pandemic and stops at the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
I read this in the evenings before bed and felt this was the first one of his that I needed to read in stages.
This is so well written, covers this time period so we'll and goes into what many think but maybe won't say.

This is a must read and I believe will become a novel that many will read in th next few years to look back on this time.

I struggled with this book, finding both the characters and the writing style somewhat pretentious. The story is very London-centric, and although it has been described as a ‘state of the nation’ novel, it reflects only a small sliver of society. Much as I wanted to persevere to the end, irritation won out half way through. My apologies to the author, but this was not for me.

Caledonian Road is the insanely good new book by Andrew O’Hagan (author of the wonderful Mayflies amongst others). A state of the nation novel set in Britain and which starts in May 2021. Brexit and the pandemic provide a loose context though both are only tangentially mentioned.

The novel's primary focus is on the corruption in the heart of the establishment, and how that ripples through the rest of society. It's an epic novel with an impressive scope which embraces Parliament, the aristocracy, street gangs, people smugglers, Russian oligarchs, cultural commentators, business, privilege, immigrants, and high end art dealers. It's extraordinary and perfectly captures the mood of the times. It reminds me a bit of Martin Amis's zeitgeisty novels of the late 80s but, unlike those, casts its net far and wide.

I can't praise it highly enough and look forward to seeing it mentioned in all those end of year lists of the best books. I also predict it will become something of a touchstone for later generations trying to make sense of this era. Make sure you read it.

Not for me, I'm afraid. I found this to be an over written, over long story of cliched characters, none of them likeable or believable, cramming in every stereotype possible. I've seen it described as a state of the nation novel but I can only see that it would be for those who already agree completely with everything it says, none of which is new or original. It certainly says absolutely nothing of the nation outside London. A bit of a disappointment for.me, unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance.copy in return for an.honest review.I

Where to begin with this epic novel .... with echoes of other stories that attempt to explore the state of society and the human condition at certain pivotal points in contemporary history...Caledonian Road is quite simply a rollercoaster of secrets and scandals

Andrew O'Hagan has dived into the the global playground that is London and what emerges is a story of worlds colliding and the darker underbelly of class divisions and the so-called 'establishment " of the rich and privileged.

Campbell Flynn - an art historian and social commentator - has what appears to be the "perfect privileged " lifestyle and with this comes an attitude of laissez-faire and not fully taking issues of life and people's attitudes seriously.. but things start to fall apart...Enter Milo Mangasha - a student of Campbell's - who starts to challenge his perceptions and show him an alternative view of life in modern day London and post Brexit England. Campbell is spellbound and so begins his downfall ..

With a cast of characters (many who are quite odious) there is a sense of a contemporary Dickensian London novel; class divisions, the stench of corruption in politics and and nobility, the confusion of identity in contemporary society and culture, old money versus new money and ultimately the human cost of exploitation to maintain position .. all twist together in a dark fable or our times- rather like a disturbing Brothers' Grimm story- full greed and retribution.

The book feels like a nail in the coffin of "Britain" and old established views and hierarchies- there are no winners.

There is humour amidst the drama and the pace is fast. There are some biting one liners . The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe spring to mind as well as John Boyne's recent Echo Chamber as the reader observes the collapse of preconceived expectations of entitlement.

This is a book that will be much spoken about ... does it give answers ? Not necessarily but it shines a spotlight beautifully on London and the greed, exploitation and the battle to survive .

Biting, satirical, moving,... take a deep breath and enter Caledonian Road but don't expect a smooth swim and this book will without a doubt leave you questioning many, many things!

" What does anything mean in relation to the true value of life and living- is what many value truly worth anything?"


"We thought we were normal. Turns out we were delusional even about our delusions. One day we might look back and say normal was the word we gave to our negligence ."
" You mean, as a society?"
" I mean as people"

I do enjoy Andrew O'Hagans books. This one is quite complex. Its a cleverly woven together contemporary story of politics, family and greed
I couldn't put it down but forced myself to read it in stages. The characters all seemed vividly real.
Will it appeal to readers who shop at our small town bookstore in New Zealand? That will probably depend on reviews. I can hand sell a few but it feels too complex to become a bestseller on its own.

This is indeed a 'state of the nation' novel and deals with so many contemporary themes that it is hard to think of one that isn't included. A scathing satire on liberal guilt and lives of privilege there is also, as another reviewer has pointed out, a Victorian feel to this long novel with multiple characters and points of view. It is skillful, thought provoking and very clever with many touches of dark humour. I admired it, enjoyed it and expect it to be a great success when published - so long as the reviewers don't feel that too clear a mirror is being held up to their lives.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

High society. The world of the chronically vain and self-absorbed.

Campbell Flynn, middle-aged art historian. Milo Mangasha, his less than squeaky clean student.

Is vanity ultimately everyone's undoing?