When we hear the word Identity the first image that comes to our
mind is a pleasant place where our sense of belonging acts as a protective
shield against the unknown, the alien. But this is only an unconscious
response built up by an ideological construct that conveniently
enthrals our Self and surreptitiously makes us accept certain social conventions
and rules. If we just analyse it more carefully we will discover
that this hypothetical shelter is just the prime source for a Marginality
that not only is felt by those who do not belong to the group, but also by
those that are part of it. Identity, then, turns out to be something of a
human bondage with a terrific capacity for isolation. And this is precisely
what the characters in Boyd’s novel painfully experience and what
the author tries to convey through the bitter irony that soaks this satire
which, mercifully, is presented to the reader under the mild appearance
of a comic novel.
