Middle England (novel)
Middle England is a 2018 novel by Jonathan Coe. It is the third novel in a trilogy, following The Rotters’ Club (2001) and The Closed Circle (2004). The novel explores the experiences of characters from those earlier novels against the backdrop of the major events taking place before, during and after the Brexit referendum. Characters Benjamin Trotter: At the start of the novel, Benjamin is happily divorced from Cicely and lives in semi-retirement in Shropshire, having become fairly wealthy in London prior to the housing crisis. Since the events of The Closed Circle, he no longer speaks to his brother Paul. Colin Trotter: After the death of his wife Sheila, Colin moves in with his son Benjamin. During the course of the novel, he begins to experience the psychological effects of old age. Lois Potter (née Trotter): Lois continues to experience trauma as a result of the Birmingham pub bombings, where her then-boyfriend was killed shortly after proposing to her in The Rotters' Club. She lives separately from her husband Christopher and isn't in love with him, but cannot bring herself to admit this. Christopher Potter: Despite being married to Lois, Christopher lives separately from his wife and is happy when he discovers that his daughter, Sophie, temporarily moves in with him. Sophie Potter: Near the beginning of the novel, Sophie has to attend a driving safety class as a result of being caught speeding, and she falls in love with Ian, one of the instructors. She works as a lecturer in art history. Ian: Ian is a driving safety instructor. He meets Sophie at one of his classes and eventually becomes her husband. Helena: Helena is Ian's mother. Her political views become a point of tension with Sophie and, to a lesser extent, Ian. She is Eurosceptic and anti-immigration, at one point showing solidarity with the views expressed by Enoch Powell in his infamous Rivers of Blood speech. Doug Anderton: Doug is a left-wing journalist who primarily writes op-eds for The Guardian and other publications. Despite growing up in a staunchly socialist family, Doug is married to an heiress and lives in Chelsea. He attended school with Benjamin and Philip in the 1970s. Philip Chase: Benjamin and Doug's friend from secondary school. In Middle England, Philip runs his own publishing house, creating artbooks that contain archival images of British towns and cities. He offers to help Benjamin edit and publish his novel. Claire Newman: Ex-wife of Philip. Claire attended King William's sixth form with Benjamin, Doug and Philip, and she continues to keep in contact with them. Charlie Chappell: Benjamin's childhood friend. Although he attended a different secondary school to Benjamin, they rekindle their friendship as adults. Charlie works as a children's entertainer, performing as a clown. Ronald Culpepper: Culpepper was in the same year as Benjamin, Doug and Philip at King William's School. At the time, he expressed racist views towards a black classmate of theirs; by the time of the novel, he has become the leader of