Book review: The Hell Of It All

Published on Saturday 21 November 2009 10:19

The Hell Of It All by Charlie Brooker is published by Faber, priced £12.99.

For those who aren't familiar with Charlie Brooker, you'd be forgiven for thinking the self-deprecating writer's second book is just 388 pages of things that have annoyed him.

The Hell Of It All is actually a collection of Brooker's columns in the Guardian. Subjects of discussion include Barack Obama, while he calls Katie Price a "cardboard box that's learned to bark", compares spiders to terrorists and reveals his idea for Extreme Kinder Eggs.

Brooker has a hilarious outlook on inane things, such as moaning about having tonsillitis, but sometimes this feels like a self-indulgent rant.

He does tackle harder issues such as the recession, but adds a few funny observations so it doesn't seem too depressing.

However, the columns date from 2007, so sometimes it's difficult to remember who he's talking about.

7/10 Review by Emma Everingham