Product Description

The war on drugs has been lost, but for want of the courage to face that fact, the whole world is rapidly becoming one vast criminal network. From the Groucho Club toilets to the poppy fields of Afghanistan, we are all partners in crime and this story takes us through the landscape it has created.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73748 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ben Elton's new novel High Society initially appears to be a cautionary tale about Britain today, but its vision of a society totally in thrall to criminality has elements of the visionary novel about it. Happily, the state of the nation is not (yet) quite as awful as it's rendered in this terrifying kaleidoscope. We're taken into a world in which drug use holds total sway, and the whole world essentially functions as a single criminal network. From royalty and the upper crust to drug abusers and prostitutes--right across the social spectrum--we are (in Elton's unsparing universe) plunging into a criminal world.

Elton's cast of characters is massive, but all (notably a government minister who is trying to push through a bill to legalise drugs) are etched in with maximum vividness. Interestingly, although Elton casts a cold eye across the whole of society (including an unforgiving look at the media) the final effect of the book is anything but bleak. All the trademark wit is here, along with a sense of focus that is considerably more sophisticated than anything Elton has tackled before. As a serious satirical novel (yes, there is such a thing), High Society makes an indelible mark. --Barry Forshaw

Daily Mail
'A fix of high comedy from a writer who provokes almost as much as he entertains’

Waterstone's Books Quarterly
'Packed with Elton's trademark sharp wit and biting social commentary... colourful and thought-provoking'

Customer Reviews

If you missed the old Elton . . .
Drugs are the scourge of society. But rather than committing already stretched police resources to solving the problem, why not legalise all drugs? Not just cannabis but heroin, cocaine and E. This is the central premise at the heart of Ben Elton’s new book, a typically vituperative attack on this country’s draconian drug laws.

Writing with a passion and fervour that he hasn’t evidenced in a long time, Elton patiently sets out his argument, using a multitude of characters, and a wonderfully flowing style, without traditional chapters. The main story deals with a government back-bencher’s attempts to get his private member’s bill introduced - a bill to legalise drugs. It gives Elton a marvellous backdrop onto which to paint his story, a story in which everyone takes drugs, the media are nothing but a pack of ravenous jackals and the general public is only interested in sound bytes and celebrities. A story which deals with prostitution, corrupt police and gangsters.

There’s a danger that a story this complex could run away from an author, but Elton is to suave for that, letting many of the stories unfold in the character’s own words. It’s a wonderfully fluent piece of work, with characters that, although obvious characatures, still elicit strong emotion from the reader. If it seems bleak, it’s because this is a bleak subject, but Elton’s customary humour and satire are there to lighten the load.

There are caveats, of course. The prose does lapse into preachiness at times (a side-effect of the author’s fervour) and, of course, not everyone will agree with the points that he raises.

But even taking that into consideration, this is a wonderfully well thought out and realised book, which feels so “now” you’ll swear it was written last week. It’s a fine return to form for an author who, after such powerful books as “Gridlock” and “This Other Eden” was beginning to look as if he’d gone a little soft. It’s a book that should be compulsory reading for every politician and newspaper editor, not to mention every parent and teacher. Read this first, then read the equally superb “Out of It” by Stuart Walton, a book that more scientifically puts forth the reasons for legalisation.

Elton does it again
With High Society, Ben Elton has done it again. Having been a major fan of his previous work, I was all over this in a second. All of Eltons trademarks are here. Achingly brilliant observations about the world we live in, dry wit and absolutly spot on humour.

High Society focusses on the fact that in this day of age, there are no truly lawful people. Either we, or someone we know go about there life breaking all mannor of laws. Not nescecarily big things like drug offenses, it could be as small as not cleaning your dogs poop off the street, or copying a friends CD.

The main issue here though is topical (like all of Eltons books) Previously he satarised Big Brother with Dead Famous, and Quentin Tarantino with Popcorn. Now he turns to the current issue of the legalisation of drugs (and one minister who is a great believer in this)

Without giving too much away, needless to say that once again Elton leaves the reader with a lot to think about. How you do your thinking ultimately will skew your opinion of the book.

Getting High
There can't be too many social issues left which Ben Elton hasn't sought to address in a novel, but his take on the UK's drug culture has to be one of the most ambitious to date. A large cast of characters enable Elton to approach the issue from several angles. The main protagonists include a backbench Labour MP, Peter Paget, who is seeking to introduce a bold Private Members' Bill for the legalisation of all drugs; a teenage runaway, Jessie, forced into heroin addiction and prostitution; and a kind of post-Robbie Williams beloved bad boy of pop music type character (and winner of a TV show called, amusingly, "Pop Hero"), Tommy Hanson. The characters are cleverly drawn and don't at any time descend into stereotype - Jessie in particular is an appealingly memorable character and Ben Elton resists the temptation, despite her undeniably tragic situation, to portray her simply as a victim.

The stage is therefore set for a well constructed comedy/drama the outcomes of which are never predictable and which finishes, rather oddly, in a very unlikely love story. There are many pleasingly sharp observations on the political climate and the media in particular which clearly demonstrate that Elton, though no longer the stand-up comic in the sparkly suit, has not lost his talent for witty social observation.

Ben Elton's vision is bleak in many respects and some scenarios do leave a bitter aftertaste. If his aim was to advocate, like Peter Paget, for the legalisation of drugs, I didn't come away entirely convinced in spite of some persuasive arguments. However the book is undeniably a good read and does provide food for thought. Elton's writing style and plotting has certainly improved since the publication of his first novel, and in "High Society" he has created an intelligent, unflinching and probably overdue comment on a critically important issue.