Book Review: The Forced Redundancy Film Club

The Forced Redundancy Film Club
Brian Finnegan

Brian Finnegan's debut The Forced Redundancy Film Club is very much a novel of Ireland in 2011. It opens with Katherine Casey, the novel's protagonist of sorts, waking up on her birthday and going to the job she has worked hard and ruthlessly to get, only to find that her name has been added to the list of people in her office being made redundant - a list that she was asked to compile.

Her whole world falls apart as she and three of her now former work colleagues; Jamie the only gay in the office who is a lot more concerned about keeping his affair a secret from his partner Andrew than losing his job; Lisa, who now faces the trials of being a stay at home mum to her three boys; and Martin, whose battle with the bottle is a lot more of a worry than losing the job he didn't care much for anyway - all of whom know that Katherine added their name to the list - go to the pub to drown their sorrows.

After 'the one too many', an idea is formed from the minds of this motley crew. They decide to meet once a month to watch their favourite films. The person hosting gets to choose. With much protestation from other members of the group, Katherine is invited along by the very likable Martin, who not-so-secretly holds a flame for her after a very brief dalliance at the office Christmas party. In turn, Katherine insists on inviting Alice, the unfortunate, unlikable P.A. to the boss who has just fired them... She hasn't lost her job, but she has just found out that her mother has died.

The group seems like a disaster from the off, with endless clashes between the wildly differing personalities. Finnegan gives each character subchapters to get a proper insight into their story and what's going on in their own lives; how their redundancy and relationships from within the group and outside it are affecting them. As time goes on, the movies chosen by the individuals mirror some form of internal struggle they are experiencing but also show them a truth that helps them in their various predicaments.

The Forced Redundancy Film Club is a smart novel that contains just the right amount of comedy and tragedy to make it enjoyable for anyone to read. The film theme throughout, beginning quite aptly with Casablanca - "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" - and ending even more aptly with It's A Wonderful Life, is both original and effective. His novel gives the reader a cutting insight into the lives of five very typical Irish individuals, from exhausted mother of three to the spinster orphan with no social skills, and pulls it off perfectly.

The beauty of The Forced Redundancy Film Club is that it can - like all classic movies - be enjoyed, not specifically by just women or just men, but by anyone who loves a good story.

An impressive debut.

(Originally written for entertainment.ie)