Boxer, Beetle

WINNER OF THE JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION

A rollicking debut novel of fascism, boxing, entomology, eugenics, and the most deathly forms of desire.

Kevin "Fishy" Broom has his nickname for a reason: he has a rare genetic condition that makes him smell markedly like rotting fish. Consequently, he rarely ventures out of the London apartment where he deals online in Nazi memorabilia. But when Fishy stumbles upon a crime scene, he finds himself on the long-cold trail of a pair of small-time players in interwar British history.

First, there's Philip Erskine, a fascist gentleman entomologist who dreams of breeding an indomitable beetle as tribute to Reich Chancellor Hitler's glory, all the while aspiring to arguably more sinister projects in human eugenics. And then there's Seth "Sinner" Roach, a homosexual Jewish boxer, nine-toed, runtish, brutish—but perfect in his way—who becomes an object of obsession for Erskine, professionally and most decidedly otherwise. What became of the boxer? What became of the beetle? And what will become of anyone who dares to unearth the answers?

Ned Beauman spins out a dazzling narrative across decades and continents, weaving his manic fiction through the back alleys of history. Boxer, Beetle is a remarkably assured, wildly enjoyable debut.

“A rambunctious, deftly plotted delight of a debut.” —Observer (UK)

“Astonishingly assured...Beauman writes with real flair and invention...Many first novels are judged promising. Boxer, Beetle arrives fully formed: original, exhilarating and hugely enjoyable.” —Sunday Times (UK)

“A witty, erudite debut...thick with trivia, it confidently takes on British fascism, the Thule society, anti-Semitism, atonal composition, sex, and the class system... often gobsmackingly smutty. Beauman is one to watch.” —Time Out London

“There are politics, black comedy, experimentation and wild originality— and I haven't even got to the beetles. Terrific.” —Times (UK)