I pulled this book out of Vicky’s book pile, and I hope that she had a chance to read it. It was Vicky who introduced me to Dyer’s writing and I found this book extremely hilarious and intelligent. These are eleven travel essays that range far and wide; Rome to Burning Man, Amsterdam to Cambodia, Indonesia to Libya, and more. In Amsterdam with his girlfriend and a friendly stranger calling himself Amsterdam Dave, they spend a night of excess. They all do mushrooms and before those kick in, they smoke a lot of weed in a coffeehouse. Before the night is over, they are all extremely wasted and can’t find their hotel … then they wonder if the hotel actually exists … then whether they even exist. Finally, they find it, Hotel Oblivion, but then they think it might just be a different Hotel Oblivion. Even when their key opens the door, they have doubts. Drug humor by Geoff Dyer is operating on such a different level than a film like Dazed and Confused or the writings of Hunter S. Thompson, as he can take you in so many directions on the same page.

I agree with what Vicky often said about him, Dyer can right about absolutely anything and keep you interested and amused. As The New Yorker said of him, “An irresistible storyteller, [Dyer] is adept at fiction, essay, and reportage, but happiest when twisting all three into something entirely his own.” Steve Martin added this on Dyer, “A freewheeling, bawdy, elegant tour of a brilliant mind.” He’s a master. If you haven’t experienced his writing, you owe it to yourself to read him. ( )

I don't recall how this book came into my awareness but it has languished on my wishlist for at least 2 years, if not longer. I liked the premise of the book, part travelogue, part memoir, and full of humour. The blurb on the front and back cover really forced the humour, promising a barrel of laughs and plenty of wit. I had looked for a copy in the bookshops that I frequent but in the end I had to opt for library loan.

The book is a collection of essays which each feature a different place that Dyer has visited or spent time as a writer. Reading the list of these places filled me with enthusiasm as they covered a wide ranging mix of cultures. I looked forward to reading about the adventures that Dyer had in each of these countries and in particular how he got on on Libya, a country un-used to tourists. None of the essays is particularly long and each follows a vaguely similar stream of consciousness approach and this is where I hit my main issue with the book.

I don't mind stream of consciousness writing as long as there is a story under there somewhere but in this case I struggled to find the story. Each of the tales is a stumbling mess with little substance to interest me. The only one that grabbed my interest in anyway was about his time Libya. The interest there was mainly down to the fact that tourists were unheard of and all the locals found this very peculiar. I also didn't need to be told numerous times by the author that he was an intellectual, I assume that as a writer this is a given.

The humour in the book completely passed me by, perhaps I am not intellectual enough to get it as others seem to have found it deeply hilarious. The philosophical stuff gets very repetitive after a while, there is only so many times you can tell people that travelling solo has periods of boredom and hardship. ( )

This is an engaging and hilarious collection of essays. At first they read like a fragmented collection of travel essays but Dyer skillfully brings them all together as the collection progresses and he finds himself contemplating ruins, both architectural and of his own middle-aged body. The last essay "The Zone" is a wonderful demonstration of Dyer's wit and intelligence and the way he blends both to enrich and entertain the reader. ( )

Overall observations are fascinating. The Paris essay is hilarious. ( )

Or, how to travel in a perpetually bad frame of mind and still get something out of it. A funny man pokes fun at himself (though at times he tries a bit too hard) and has a lot of fun along the way. Travel writing will never be the same. "I am near to where I started -- but I am nearer to giving up." ( )