The Old Devils - Kingsley Amis

This old-fashioned novel sits oddly among a list of 80s Booker winners, the muscular likes of Rushdie, Coetzee, Carey and Ishiguro.

It's not without virtues, in particular there are some amusing turns of phrase, and it's refreshing to read a book about Welsh characters who for some reason seem under-represented in literature. The problem is that among the younger bucks, Amis pere can't help but feel a little staid.