Another book read following a review in Planet
The blurb on the back says the novel is about "political oppression, literature, loneliness and friendship" which makes it seem like a very grand project - however in my view it has very little to say about political oppression and not much more to say about literature (although I accept that read in the original Welsh these sub plos might have had greater resonance), this is a book almost entirely about the interplay of loneliness and friendship - but as that in itself is a massive theme to tackle it makes for a novel of substance.
While the book takes the character Melog as its namesake it is really Dr Jones who is the center of the story, it is the story of ripples and waves that are created by the entry of Melog into Dr Jones' life (and Melog's repeated departures and returns). Melog is on many levels a character that should prompt an almost instance dislike, he is selfish and lack any kind of self-awareness, yet you understand completely why Dr Jones is attracted to him and why despite being let down time and again by Melog he fails to wash his hands of the friendship - it is easy to identify similar characters in your own life (and if you can't then, I would suggest, that the likelihood is that you are Melog to all your friends!).
Melog is a character full of fantasy, and you are almost certain that somebody is suffering a major delusion, however you can not quite work out who. Is it Dr Jones? Is it Melog? Or is it the entirely of the human race except Melog? All of them are plausible, and for much of the time it is the latter that seems the most likely - and it is that puzzle that makes it a fanscinating read that draws you onward through the novel.
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