Review of 'Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse'

Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse by David Mitchell

I really think that David Mitchell is a great comedian. I first got to know his style through the television series “Mitchell and Webb” then I have enjoyed his appearances on various comedy shows throughout the years. His dry and quite erudite humour is often absolutely hilarious. All the more puzzling that I did not really like this book, a collection of his newspaper column writings for the Guardian from the past few years. I am not sure what it is but his humour, for me, does not really work on the page. Sure, a few times I laughed out loud but these points were few and far between with most of the time I had to concentrate to attempt to understand what he was trying to say - He writes much like how he talks but this just does not seem to transfer well. He shares with us his thoughts on various topics from contemporary life including politics, popular media and life in general. Some of what is says is completely preposterous and my eyes glazed over but his strength is when he subverts common understandings with his witty commentary.

If you are a fan of Mr. Mitchell this is probably a good choice for you but my advice would be to go slowly, taking your time to absorb what it is he is trying to get at and you will be rewarded with a hearty laugh. If, like me, you are not all that keen on working hard for your laughs and prefer to read quite quickly, perhaps give this a miss.

Rating: “A bit better than average”

Review Date: 2016-03-23

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publisher: Guardian Books

Publication Date: 2014

ISBN: 978-1-78335-05