Three Men on the Bummel is a hilarious account of three friends on a cycling journey through the German Black Forest. Digressions in the form of ludicrous anecdotes do away with the need for an overall plot; and this is Jerome’s unique style that was first seen in his hugely popular book Three Men in a Boat. His writing style is also notable for a very straightforward, voluble, and effortless way of telling a story like a grandpa relating one of his.
When reading a book like this, I always wonder from the writer’s point of view. The author must always be aware of the audience he is writing for – so that he can write in a relatable voice, the plot interests them, and to assure that references are not lost. If you are writing on finer feelings as they say, you should know the emotional quotient of your audience – for if it is a book on loving a pet, say dog, it would be lost on one who finds petting a nuisance! And I know ample people in India who would not simply comprehend one’s affection for a dog. It is also imperative to determine how intelligent of a book the author is allowed to write – how much he could trust his readers to be intelligent enough to register the layers of sarcasm. And this does not hold just for humor, but probably detective and thrillers too.
But since I am mostly concerned with humor writing, I do find myself vexing over a scenario that I am writing that it might have been exaggerated a tad too much, too convoluted, or just plain old – dunked. It is the old hen-first-or-egg-first problem that a new author has to deal with. He cannot know what rings with audience till you have an audience, and of course you cannot have an audience without a book!
Enough digression. If you are interested in Jerome’s book, you might be pleased to know that his style also makes it possible for a reader to just start reading at any page, and enjoy his bone-tickling accounts of episodes when Harris lost his wife, or an acquaintance took upon himself to tune his bicycle, or their tryst with breaking laws amongst the law-abiding people and dogs of Germany.