No Laughing Matter

Condition remarks:
Condition: Good to fair. Jacket: worn/faded, chipping and tears but still structural (refer to image). Page Condition: Good - possible tanning. Markings: possible previous owner inscription.

Few novels capture the sweep of twentieth-century British life with as much wit, ferocity, and formal daring as No Laughing Matter. Angus Wilson's ambitious saga chronicles the Matthews family — six siblings born into an Edwardian household of chaos, neglect, and black comedy — as they scatter across the decades, each forging an identity against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming Britain. From the drawing rooms of pre-war London to the upheavals of mid-century modernity, Wilson maps the private failures and quiet triumphs of a family that is both utterly specific and achingly universal. Wilson was one of the most technically adventurous novelists of his generation, and No Laughing Matter stands as his masterwork — a novel that shifts registers between pastiche, parody, and high realism with breathtaking control. The prose borrows freely from Chekhov and Shaw, staging family confrontations as miniature plays within the narrative, dismantling the boundary between performance and lived experience. Critics have long placed it alongside the great English family sagas, yet its structural boldness and satirical intelligence ensure it remains in a category of its own. Whether the Matthews children ultimately escape the shadow of their impossible parents is a question that haunts every page.