But in spite of Hoban s fictional world being almost exclusively English, it is perhaps his distance from the English vernacular that has made for much of his best work. But while it can be very funny, Riddley Walker ultimately offers a grim view of mankind. It s a worst-case novel, at once suggesting the terrifying possible consequences of the way we are now, and asking whether these consequences could even make a difference to the way we will be in the future. I m pessimistic about the present and future, as are a lot of astronomers right now. The quality of life in general has got worse in almost every way in my lifetime.
People talk about the difficulties more because they experience more difficulties.
Their expectations weren t that life would be fraught with difficulty all the time. Their expectations were, I think I can assume, that if you worked hard and were honest and decent, you would have the reward of a nice life. I ve seen the emotional and intellectual climate change so that almost no-one can think of politicians as decent people anymore. Every change I ve seen has been for the worse, except for the residential parking in our street. Heavy stuff, but delivered with the same human warmth and generosity that pervades his novels.