Michael Frayn’s latest book Skios (Faber and Faber, 2012) is set in a fictitious Greek island, hence its homonymous title. Everything is ready for the big event of the year – the annual Fred Toppler Foundation lecture, to be delivered by the world famous authority Dr Norman Wilfred. But whereas all has been perfectly organized, everything becomes topsy-turvy due to a mix up at the island’s airport. There, instead of the key-note speaker, the beautiful Nikki Hook, organizer of the event, welcomes a much younger and more attractive man (Oliver Fox) by taking him for Dr Norman Wilfred, and she is already smitten with him. Oliver Fox is nothing but an incorrigible skirt-chaser charlatan who, although not responsible for this mistaken identity incident, nevertheless grabs the opportunity to make the most out of this unexpected adventure that fate – or rather Nikki Hook – has in store for him, and specifically the new role he decides to adopt as the much sought after famous scientist Dr Norman Wilfred!
Skios is a witty, charming and funny book which, however, is not short of defects, the major of which is its self-imposed restriction as a farce that does not allow it to be an authentic novel. The fact that it is well-written, enjoyable and flows smoothly does not necessarily mean that it satisfies the reader completely. On the contrary, it is likely that it may tire the reader or even put him off due to saturation. Because the inundation of comedy errors, regardless of how wittily they may be structured, do not cease to be more or less predictable and consequently boring. In other words, the reader may understandably become disillusioned, overwhelmed by a strong feeling of reading a play (farce) or a screenplay rather than a novel.
It is indicative, for example, that instead of fully fledged characters, there are only sketchy, stereotypical caricatures. The book abounds with stereotypical cues (such as those of the Greek taxi-drivers with their “No worries…” etc), puns (such as “Skios-skiers”), as well as such abrupt alternations in thoughts/monologues, dialogues and scenes that only a movie-camera could capture and convey faithfully and convincingly. Which means that the reader himself is forced to… film in his mind the fast paced unfolding episodes of the story, in order to give them their truly natural (theatrical and cinematic) qualities, and be able to follow and appreciate them duly.
In this respect Skios proves to be a kind of boomerang against itself, as it is self-trapped in its dual entity – farce and novel. Thus, despite the fact that Frayn’s book works like a well-wound precision watch, eventually it proves to be an impressive firework that fizzles so ingloriously into the night’s darkness. Exactly the same as the supposed perfect organization of the Fred Toppler Foundation’s annual lecture which turns out to be a fiasco.
Notwithstanding all the above, the most interesting aspects of this farce are – paradoxically – the… serious matters that are being criticized. Because Frayn is not restricted in parodying only people, attitudes, practices, situations and the lifestyles of the modern plutocracy. He extends and focuses his activity, mainly, on unmasking and pillorying those organizations and institutions which are poles apart from being what they profess to be.
Thus, the otherwise prestigious, respected and financially all powerful Fred Toppler Foundation, which was supposedly established for the cultivation and promotion of cultural, scientific and humanistic purposes and a better world, is nothing more than a façade behind which various conspiracies, machinations, and dirty dealings (such as money laundering) and other illegal activities of the all powerful Greek and international plutocracy are hatched. Hence this annual event is a pretext for them to enjoy a summer holiday in an idyllic Greek island, to flirt, to discuss business, to promote their economic interests and to scheme for the future control of the wealthy Fred Toppler Foundation and the appointment of their mates. These, I believe, are the best and most “juicy” pages of the book – that is, how these dirt rich but ridiculous patrons and guardians of the arts deal with issues such as culture and science, about which they are entirely clueless.
*Dr John Vasilakakos is a Melbourne academic, fiction and essay writer and literary translator. He has published 15 books and hundreds of articles in Australia, Greece, America and Canada. He has received numerous awards.