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  • Location: Brazil, Recife, UK

Narcissism for Beginners

Narcissism for Beginners

Why a Booktrail?

2000s: Longlisted for the 2017 Guardian Not the Booker Prize

  • ISBN: 978-1783525591
  • Genre: Coming of Age, Fiction, Young Adult

What you need to know before your trail

Meet Sonny Anderson: budding author, ex-meth-head, neurotic and Shaun of the Dead obsessive. Sonny doesn’t remember his mother because when he was five, his father kidnapped him from his home in Scotland and took him to live on a commune in the Brazilian outback.

Since the age of eleven, he has lived in Southern California with his enigmatic guardian, Thomas – but on his twenty-first birthday he receives a gift that will throw his life wildly off course, all over again.

Armed with five mysterious letters and a list of addresses, Sonny musters the courage to return to the UK and finally learn the truth about his childhood. As the story of his past unravels, though, he’s less sure it’s the truth he wants to hear.

Travel Guide

Travel BookTrail around Recife and Brazil with Narcissim for Beginners

There are several mentions of the film  ‘Shaun of the Dead’ references running through the novel.  This is Sonny’s favourite film and although not a large part of the plot, he does visit the locations from the films. The film and title is also somewhat of a metaphor for the other zombies in the story – the Guru’s followers)

The locations are fast and fleeting here – There’s a quirky trip around Britain which takes in, amongst other places, Brighton, Scotland and Keswick in the Lake District. Further afield, there’s Redondo Beach, California and Recife in Brazil.

The setting of Brazil is the main focus of the story however.

Booktrail Boarding Pass: Narcissism for Beginners

Destination: Brazil, Recife, UK Author/Guide: Martine McDonagh Departure Time: 2000s

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