We Want What You Have

In a time of nonsense politics and the economics of greed, suspicion and envy then the slogan 'We Want What You Have' makes perfect sense. The British - or to be more exact the South Eastern English - are inordinately fond of owning their own property but wanting more. In many places in the world it's still more common to rent, particularly for young professionals living in the city. Home for them is more about family than bricks and mortar. When you add the toxic house price inflation of some parts of London into an already confused set of cultural aspirations it's not surprising there is tension.
John Lanchester's Capital brilliantly captures all the social threads and uniquely enables you to identify with every single family or individual ...with one exception. No, not the rich spoilt City worker. It's the poor footballer from Senegal who gets injured, plus his minder, that I struggled to find engaging. No wonder their characters more or less got dropped from the successful TV adaptation. They just didn't add anything other than be an obvious example of contrasting poverty and wealth. The rest of the inhabitants and workers in Pepys Road all resonated with warmth and cynical humour. Lanchester has a lot to teach us about ourselves and our values but he avoids being preachy or having a closed mindset - which is why everyone gets an equal grilling of tough love.