Book Review: Fibber In The Heat by Miles Jupp

Review
Fibber In The Heat is written by the comedian (and, as the book refers quite regularly, former Balamory actor) Miles Jupp. It follows his growing love of cricket inspiring him to join the press corps on the England Test tour to India. The only problem is that he isn't actually a journalist, and is driven to some rather long lengths to obtain press accreditation. This results in him being a correspondent for the Western Mail, a Welsh newspaper, whose readership are merely interested in the trials and tribulations of their Welsh fast bowler, Simon Jones, who promptly is injured before the Test matches begin. His back-up missive is as the writer for BBC Scotland, a country not renowned for producing international players; step forward Exhibit A, Gavin Hamilton.

Miles's writing style is somewhat charismatic. He describes early on his love for the sport driving him to distraction during the early pages. How he manages to keep his job during the 2005 Ashes series, one will never know! We learn to be very admiring of his long-suffering girlfriend, as he effectively 'swans off' to the Indian sub-continent, on a whim, without any paid work promised or any costs likely to be covered by third parties.

The start is particularly entertaining - the reader is left to imagine the wide range of issues that could be created from Miles's plans, and he leads us merrily to India, full of optimism of the japes ahead.

He is completely out of his depth. From not knowing how to operate hotel blinds, to regularly appearing at the wrong entrance of the ground without any accreditation, Miles has to try very hard to make sure that he can fit in. Which he doesn't, much to the reader's enjoyment.

Miles reports, quite factually, the various correspondents that he meets on his journey. Effectively a travelling army of BBC, newspaper and Sky commentators remain together for the duration of the tour, which he had imagined to be a 'brothers in arms' experience. As it happens, the long demands of the tour somewhat erode their working relationships, and he discovers that the competitive nature of the press can be rather tiresome. However, Miles is very good at pretending to look busy, so he can settle in quite nicely.

Miles has a number of interesting drinking experiences with former England captains; unfortunately we don't learn too much about these, possibly due to the serious hangovers that he suffers on the following mornings, and the evident memory loss.

The narrative winds onwards through the Test series, covering the three matches over the 342 pages. This runs at a suitable pace, never dwelling for long on an experience, no matter how important it proves to be later in the book.

The difficulty with the book is that it never quite gives you everything you are hoping for. Miles is certainly excellent at reporting some of the key facts and stories that occurred to him. Anyone who has experienced food poisoning will empathise with his street food adventure, which ultimately drives him to his conclusion about sports journalism and his future. However, we don't ever really learn about what he is feeling. There is a fleeting mention about missing home, but considering some of his thoughts and experiences, especially during the second half of the book, some personal perspective is really required. This is what could make the book more appealing to readers who aren't as involved with sports, or as familiar with sports literature.

Overall it is an entertaining read. It doesn't provide quite enough comedy from observations about India itself, or from habits of the touring party, to quite satisfy the reader. The cricket detail can be a little light in places for the aficionado but is generally well written, providing a suitable narrative throughout the book. It is definitely a strong debut, although inclusion on the final William Hill Sports Book of the Year shortlist is a little surprising.

Summary:
Length - 343 pages
First published - 2012
Immediacy - 5/5 - the opening is very entertaining and can sustain the reader throughout the majority of the book.
Writing style - 4/5 - light-hearted, self-effacing and genial.
Ongoing narrative - 4/5 - sometimes skirts around some of his personal thoughts, such as his family, which must have played a part in his enjoyment of the tour.
Overall - 4/5.