UNCLE DYSFUNCTIONAL

by A.A. Gill, Allen & Unwin.

Advice columnist Uncle Dysfunctional was the alter ego of the late, brilliant writer A.A. Gill. In this collection from British Esquire magazine, he’s devastatingly articulate. To the woman who’s turned off in bed by her boyfriend’s posh accent, he sympathises that while useful for, “ordering thousands of oiks to certain death”, it is “the most preposterous voice when naked”, and advises her to shove a pillow in his mouth – “It will remind him of school”. To the chap who writes, “Nobody understands me”, he replies, “What?” This is a trove of great humour. He cites the women’s movement as the best thing that’s happened to men, and his fashion advice states: “The worst-dressed man in any room is the one who won’t order spaghetti because he’s got an Hermès tie on.”