I love Tom Cox as a writer. I have read his non-fiction, his fiction, his short stories and his novels and he never lets me down. He has a singular view of the world and an authorial voice all his own and no matter what he attempts, he succeeds and he generously takes you, the reader along for the ride.
This is a psychedelic trip of a novel, with wild characters and a plot that sometimes utterly confounds expectation. It's the most experimental thing by Tom and yet it has strongly traditional elements that save the book at the times it promises to veer off the page and go somewhere entirely different. What was rather lovely, as a long time subscriber to Tom's writing on Substack and his website, is seeing him weave some of his non-fiction writing into the body of the novel. It was a real delight to recognise some of the faces and places of the novel from elsewhere.

I wish I had experienced what other reviewers did while reading the book. There are some good bits in here: love of friendship and beautiful things with a history.

Unfortunately, I did not find the characters convincingly written. They seemed more cardboard cutouts of an idea of what a character is supposed to be. There is a strong reliance on "humor" and "whimsy" that did not land for me in the way that it had for others. Additionally, the author writes in a meandering style that was a bit frustrating and disappointing. I enjoy long convoluted sentences in many works, but these needed some revision.

Still, I think Mr Cox will have many fans of his work. Those who follow and enjoy his Substack will enjoy this as it's written in the same style. This style doesn't work for me, but it will be delightful and heartwarming to those who get something out of his other writings.

Oh, what a glorious book. I adored Tom’s previous, equally idiosyncratic novel Villager, and was looking forward to this immensely.

Eric, approaching 70, spends his time buying and selling vintage vinyl and walking the green woods and hills of south west England. He is accompanied on these walks by his best friend of 20-plus years, Carl.

Carl is a fan of the novels of Anita Brookner, Rosamond Lehmann, and Barbara Kingsolver, a keen knitter, a very capable gardener, and most people encounter him in the form of a very handsome dog.

This wonderful and original book is a rich and warm celebration of friendship and life as it is lived, the small joys and the could have beens and never weres that can make it all such a tantalisingly magical ride.

As we move through the gears and pendulums of Eric and Carl’s friendship Cox, with touching insight and humour, explores the enchantments in our relationship to each other, the land, nature, and history.

Following the life of Eric from young hopeful guitarist in the 60s to his current (literally and figuratively) rambling existence, Cox offers his perspective on the social changes during these times and honours those who secede from the norms and find their own way in life.

The book almost glows as you read it - the radiance of a bruised and dented group of friends finding and celebrating the best in each other. It’s a glow like nostalgia, an undefinable bittersweet sense of comfort, but this is not a nostalgic book. It’s a book about loving the now of your life, informed and shaped as it is by moments you treasure, regret, misremember, or have entirely forgotten.

Be in it, for it is all we have.

Finishing this book felt as satisfying as the rattle and knock of a Morton Flickpot.

A signed copy is now on order for my wife, who I am sure will love it as much as I.

Could be my last 5/5 of 2024…

Rounding up to 3 🌟


It's me, I think I'm the problem.


I wish I'd loved this book as much as other reviewers had.
I see snatches of what they're talking about.
I enjoyed the whimsical, the amusing, the characters, but for me, they were buried in too much other stuff. I was not so keen on the other stuff.
Just never a story I rushed back to.

What a weirdly wonderful and wonderfully weird book. I loved reading this original book. The wry and colourful observations of life, friendship and the landscape were so beautiful and resonated so strongly with me. The story made me laugh and made me sad and I just loved all the characters. And oh what a beautiful ending. This is the sort of book that stays with you and you just want to keep going back to it.

What a book, I have taken 24 hours to gather my thoughts before writing this review. In places the book was so familiar to my own experiences & resonated with me very strongly & yet in other ways was so very different…

It is the story of the life of Eric, Carl & the friends they collect along the way. Carl however just so happens to be a dog, a very intelligent & articulate dog at that. This slightly fantastical element is gently handled & really this is just about their friendship as they share their stories & musings on life with each other.

The reflections on male friendships & the relationship with the folklore & rural politics of their countryside setting are deftly told with real warmth, joy, humour & sharp wit. I already know this book will stay with me well beyond its first reading & I will certainly be searching out for more books from Tom Cox

Thoroughly enjoyable

I requested this on a whim and let me just tell you. What a sweet little triumph it was! I don't want to spoil a thing, but please if you're considering it READ THIS BOOK! What a treat and what an homage to humanity.

An ode to eclecticism and honest passion, Tom Cox’s Everything Will Swallow You follows its dual protagonists, Eric and Carl as they go about their lives in South-West England. Eric collects records and antiques, while Carl is an avid reader and gardener. Those whom they meet on their regular walks take Eric (correctly) to be a 67 year old man and Carl (incorrectly) to be a dog.

Cox’s novel is fresh and insightful in its exploration of friendship and community, illustrating the unexpectedly colourful lives that we can share in if only we payed a little bit more attention. This philosophy extends into the characterisation which is compelling in its simultaneous rejection and elevation of the mundane. (I shan’t spoil anything, but Carl is my very favourite Carl). The use of different narrative perspectives throughout is effective, along with the variation in written form (eg. letters and journal articles).

Cox’s focus on the temporal is also fascinating. References to a future cataclysmic societal shift go hand-in-hand with a consistent harking back to the mythology of the landscape. This helps to situate the narrative as something both ephemeral and eternal. In a way, this is the message of the novel; not to forget that there are lots of other heres and nows, but to remember that only one is here and now.

Woven like so much twisted gold and brambles, Everything Will Swallow You is a book I imagine I shall be returning to return to time and time again.

As someone who has spent a lot of their time being the wallflower - observing, making up stories about what the people I have observed do in the safety of their own homes : I found this book to be a silent acknowledgement of my younger self.
An interesting remise definitely, with a very unexpected start.
This is the sort of book you would want to pick up one last afternoon between seasons thinking it would be a decent companion for a few hours and then you get sucked in .

I really enjoyed this book. It teaches the age old adage that we should up d never judge a book by its cover even though we so often do. This is a great refresher

Tom Cox does a fantastic job in writing this book, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel from the description. The characters were everything that I was looking for and was glad I got to read this.