I picked up Marcel Theroux’s latest novel “Far North” because of a personal recommendation from his father, the well-known travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux. Marcel is the second of Paul’s three sons. The younger two sons were born to Paul and his English wife Anne Castle, and were brought up and educated in the UK following their parent’s divorce, while the eldest son was born to a different, American woman – but that’s a long story I won’t go into here. The youngest, Louis, is active as a TV journalist and writer, based mainly in the UK. He is in a way the British equivalent of Michael Moore, and has many fans. A Japanese translation of his non-fiction book “The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures” has been published by Chūōkōron-shinsha and received quite favourable reviews. It is a uniquely fascinating book covering America’s underside from the eyes of a Brit, and well worth reading if you get the chance.