Simon Wroe Livres

Monocle - so nicknamed because he went to university - works as a sous chef in a London gastropub. Terrorized by hoodlums (his co-workers), he daily survives the scalds and wounds meted out by Racist Dave and sadistic head chef Bob. In the kitchen, acts of ferocious revenge and touching kindness are served up, driven by dark fears and desperate dreams. But out there, waiting patiently at his table, is the Fat Man and his strange, insatiable hunger . . . 'Wroe depicts the literal underworld of a restaurant kitchen with wit, vigour and gleeful, necessary profanity.' New York Times 'A brutally funny look at the world of professional cooking.' Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story 'A greasy, hilarious tale of loyalty, revenge and dark appetites. A gripping look behind the kitchen wall.' Shortlist 'A complete page-turner. Reminiscent of Kitchen Confidential but with an entirely fresh voice.' Thomasina Miers

From the Costa-shortlisted author of CHOP CHOP, HERE COMES TROUBLE is a comic novel with bite. Set in a collapsing country - where larger-than-life characters make promises they can't keep - it's the perfect read for our strange, tumultuous times.

Furiously funny, fast, surreal. The heat and the profanity feel painfully real; the prose, masterfully stylized, definitely the stuff of fiction. (Anya von Bremzen, author of Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking). Two months behind on his rent, young graduate Monocle swallows his dreams and takes the only job he can find: the lowest-rung chef in a gastropub in Camden. Here he finds himself surrounded by a group of deranged hoodlums (his co-workers) and at the mercy of an ingenious sadist (the head chef, Bob). What follows is a furiously-paced, ribald, raucous and unexpectedly touching tale of loyalty and revenge, dark appetites and fading dreams, and a young man finding his way in the world as he is plunged into the fat and the frying pan and everything else besides. Simon Wroe is a former chef who writes about food and culture for Prospect and the Economist, and has contributed to a wide range of publications including The Times, Guardian, Telegraph and Evening Standard. He is 30 and lives in London. This is his first novel.