The novel follows the life of the character Rob Jordan and is divided into three sections; Shouting to myself, Nine out of ten videos are shit and Because of the ants. In the first section, set in 1994, Rob is a struggling newly qualified teacher; lonely and frustrated at home and depressed at work. In section two, in 1999, Rob has been promoted to the dole and spends his time fantasising about murdering his vicar flatmate, whilst becoming involved in an ill-fated love triangle. The last section, set in 2004, sees Rob on the run and a series of flashbacks reveal that he has killed a man. The tone is comic but the novel does attempt to deal with contemporary issues. At a rough estimate, there is a profound slice of wisdom about every six gags. Six and a half maximum. And if you are still not convinced, if you do read a more amusing book about teaching or being on the dole this millennium, you get a free rabbit in a nut. Guaranteed.