Non-fiction

MEN

By Raven Smith, Fourth Estate, £14.99 (ebook £7.99)

★★★☆☆

Known for his witty social media presence, funny

Vogue columns and ability to capture the zeitgeist, it’s hard not to like Raven Smith.

Unfortunately, he perhaps is better suited to essays and small bites of content. This all feels a bit frenetic.

There are too many similes and metaphors, and Smith jumps from topic to topic with blinding speed. Perhaps each chapter would be better suited as a solo piece, rather than a full book.

Getting the balance between witty and insightful is tough – at times Smith nails it, when discussing his relationship with his stepfather, or the finale analysing the patriarchy and why he’s so obsessed with men – but at other times he misses the mark (the part on eating disorders felt a bit off). Smith is still a delight (albeit a graphic one – prepare for some gross-out sections).