if it is one thing i hate in a book it's a gimmick. gimmick writing is almost never clever or interesting or good, it is simply a gimmick. the gimmick here is that mr amis writes the novel backwards. the story, all dialogue, everything is backward. end to beginning, this, like all gimmicks, gets real tiresome, real fast. years ago i read mr amis's book "money," which i loved. i have been looking forward to reading more of him, so this came as a great disappointment. don't waste your time.