Tibor Fischer has pedigree in writing with wit and cynicism going back to Under The Frog. It has been a long while since he penned a full novel so it was intriguing to see what had stimulated him to spin another yarn. And this time – “My Bags are Big” introduces- crypto currency.
At first I was not disappointed, as Tibor Fischer’s meanderings on life, including relationships and friendships, did not disappoint. But this may not be to everyone’s taste. It can feel like being in a pub in South London with a casual acquaintance high on Speed, eager to share their eccentric views on life. And I say South London, because Dan, the main character, has a thing about Millwall FC (and justifiably so, I might add, in real life).
The downside to this joyride is that My Bags are Big is hazy about where it is going – plot does not appear to be high on Tibor Fischer’s list of priorities for this novel. In the end this high velocity rant runs out of steam and I wanted it to finish.
So this novel is supposed to use crypto currency as a plot device. I was disappointed about that not being the case. Whilst Dan randomly discusses it, without a meaningful plot, Crypto currency has little bearing on the novel’s journey.
Dan, in first person, is a politically incorrect “old-school crypto geezer”, now living in Dubai, but still very much living in the past. But don’t be deceived about Dubai – there is little exposition on living in Dubai. In his twilight years, the novel spends time reflecting on his lazy life going back to Catford, South London. That old-school feel adds to its realism.
Tibor Fischer spins quite a yarn with Dan being in sports management, a doomed romance with a quantum physicist, occasional encounters with David Bowie, and a run-in with Maoist revolutionaries in the ’80s. This all adds to the Fischer brand.
Dan is undoubtedly a cliched cockney character with Tibor Fischer using him to explore masculinity. A little sleazy but lovable all the same. Dan is bragging about his Bitcoin holdings, and he’s wearing a 1970s Mickey Mouse watch given to him by his father.
The most significant “device” here is Dan. He is a sleazy but strangely lovable raconteur. And his “bro culture” friends are at least oddballs who do stuff like smear caviar on lottery tickets to “give them a taste of wealth.
Whilst the “bags” of the title refer to cryptocurrency wallets, we learn little more than how they go up and down. He tries to capture the desperation of westerners trying to reinvent themselves as “crypto gurus” but it is light on detail.
*My Bags Are Big* by Tibor Fischer is more of a story of a cockney geezer riding the crypto wave – or any wave that involves following the money without having to work too hard for it. But don’t come looking for stuff on blockchain. The arch satire on enjoying life for most of the novel makes it worth the ride.
