Our book group choice for January 2018 is The Last Days of Disco by David F. Ross. Early in the decade that taste forgot, Fat Franny Duncan is on top of the world. He is the undoubted King of the Ayrshire Mobile Disco scene, controlling and ruling the competition with an iron fist.
The Last Days of Disco is a coming-of-age novel set in Ayrshire, Scotland, in the early 1980s. The story follows two best friends, Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller, as they navigate the end of the disco era and the beginning of adulthood.
Bobby is a carefree, hedonistic teenager who just wants to have fun and get laid. Joey is more idealistic and ambitious, but he is also struggling with his sexuality. The two friends start a mobile disco business together, which seems like the answer to all their problems. However, their business soon runs into trouble when they cross paths with Fat Franny Duncan, a local gangster who is not afraid to use violence to get what he wants.
As the disco era comes to an end, Bobby and Joey are forced to confront their own personal demons. Bobby must decide whether he is ready to grow up and take responsibility for his life. Joey must come to terms with his sexuality and decide who he wants to be with.
The Last Days of Disco is a funny, heartwarming, and ultimately heartbreaking novel about friendship, love, and loss. It is a story about growing up and letting go of the past. It is also a story about the power of music to bring people together.
The novel is set against the backdrop of the early 1980s, a time when disco was still popular, but the era was coming to an end. This provides a sense of nostalgia for the time period, but also a sense of melancholy as the characters realize that their youth is slipping away.
The novel is full of memorable characters, including Bobby, Joey, Fat Franny Duncan, and Bobby’s sister, Angela. The characters are well-developed and believable, and the reader can’t help but root for them.
The novel is also full of humor, but it also deals with some serious themes, such as death, violence, and homophobia. The novel does not shy away from these difficult topics, but it handles them with sensitivity and grace.
Here are some additional details that could be included in a 750-word synopsis of the book:
- The novel’s setting is important to the story, as it captures the atmosphere of Glasgow in the early 1980s. The city is awash in neon lights and disco music, and the streets are full of young people eager to dance the night away.
- The characters in the novel are well-developed and believable. Bobby and Joey are both likable and relatable characters, and the supporting cast is also full of interesting and memorable people.
- The novel explores a number of themes, including friendship, loss, coming of age, and the search for identity. These themes are explored in a thoughtful and insightful way, and they give the novel a lasting resonance.
- The novel’s writing is sharp and witty, and the dialogue is natural and believable. Ross does a great job of capturing the slang and colloquialisms of the time period, and he also creates some truly memorable scenes.
Discussion Questions The Last Days of Disco
- Did this book transport you to the 1980s or make you feel nostalgic for that time?
- Did the colloquialisms and the vernacular dialogue add to the atmosphere or were they a distraction for you? Would it have been the same book without them?
- Fat Franny Duncan seems a pivotal character but seems less important towards the end of the story. How well do you think the other characters were developed alongside the lead characters?
- How did you think the political quotes add to the narrative?
- Bobby and Gary are both young men at a time of unemployment and political upheaval and both deal with this in different ways. How do you think the book dealt with masculinity?
- There’s a lot of backstory and exposition in the narrative – was this the best way to tell the story?
- The author is obviously a big fan of music and musical culture and has huge affection for the Kilmarnock area. Did you think that the author got the balance right in terms of detail versus plot development?
- Do you recommend it? If so, to whom?