Staggering Hubris cover art

Staggering Hubris

The Memoir of Boris Johnson’s Most Classic Spad (The ‘Rona Years, Vol. 1)

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About this listen

Unless you're a woman on Tinder between the ages of 19 and 30 in the Clapham area or a high-end cocaine dealer operating in South West London, you probably won't have heard of Rafe Hubris, BA (Oxon).

Despite that, he's a crucial figure in the life of our nation. As Boris Johnson's most classic special adviser (spad) at Number 10, he helped the UK government skillfully and efficiently control the COVID crisis, containing it for good by the end of 2020.

In the first of what will doubtless be many memoirs as Rafe travels his own inevitable journey to the premiership, this fly-on-the-wall account documents his Year of 'Rona in its entirety (and iniquity).

Even non-Oxbridge audiences (for whom the author has taken care to keep his language as accessible as possible) will come away from this volume struck by how lucky we are to have him. Floreat Etona!*

*Note for non-Oxbridge listeners: this means "May Eton flourish" in Latin.**

**Latin is the language of ancient Rome and its empire.

©2021 Eye Books (P)2021 Eye Books Literature & Fiction Satire Comedy Funny Witty

Critic reviews

"A pitch-perfect send-up." (Evening Standard)
All stars
Most relevant
Hilarious from start to finish! Josh brings his brings his wit from social media to a great audio listen - couldn’t stop laughing!

Laugh out loud funny!

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Like all of comedy’s most loathsome protagonists (Blackadder, B’stard, Partridge, Brent/Scott,
Tucker et al.), Rafe is a deeply unlikeable character, who epitomises everything wrong with society. But as our hero’s story reaches Its climax (classic Rafe), I’m moved by this deeply flawed individual’s reconciliation with an old flame, and find myself wishing things had worked out better for him.

Sure, it’s hilarious (in a deeply unsettling way in light of how close to the mark the world it portrays actually is). And the growing contempt Rafe feels for the vast array of incompetent morons supposedly running the country inevitably mirrors our own feelings towards this government. But I was expecting that.

What I wasn’t expecting this book to do was to make me feel. Rafe doesn’t know it, but he is an absolute - and this is his word - ‘wetty’. And you feel genuinely sorry for him, in spite of what a vindictive little prick he is throughout most of the book.

You’re supposed to hate him. But in the end, you’re kind of rooting for him. And it’s my strong desire that by the end of his character arch, Rafe and Poppy actually end up together. Really not the key takeaway I was expecting from a satirical comedy book. But then that’s what makes it good comedy, because Rafe Hubris isn’t disposable. He isn’t half as clever, funny, or charming as he thinks. And none of us ever are.

Bene lusit Hubris. Bene lusit.

If this isn’t immediately turned into a screen play and a BAFTA Award winning TV series immediately, we riot.

I didn’t think it would make me feel!

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Absolutely loved listening to this, Josh Berry is such a talent! His reading was perfect and the accents are superb. Would love it if he wrote another piece documenting Boris's downfall.

Just brilliant!

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Cannot rate this book more highly. I finished it in two stints. Unbelievable word play and humour.

The funniest book I have ever listened to

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Absolutely loved this diary entries by Rafe - hilarious, witty and easy to listen to. Can’t wait for the next instalment Mr B!!

Staggering haha

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