The Elephant

This funny & distinctive book by British author Richard Rayner, which reads more like a novel than a travelogue, is about versions of the truth, the mystery of names, sexual hysteria & a fear of not-feeling; about myths of family, of seduction, & of provincial England. Most of all perhaps, it is about emotional change, & about "going to see the elephant," & that in turn is the story of the relationship between a son, Headingley, & his prodigal father, Jack Hamer. Hamer is a man in the death business, & his son is a self-confessed fantasist & liar who is named after a cricket field. The joy of the book is its humor - -a terrific piece of road comedy.