Mr. Phillips
by John Lanchester
List Price: $24.95
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0399146040
Publisher: Putnam Pub Group
Mr. Phillips wakes on a Monday morning in his modest, nearly mortgage-free
house, in the bed he has contentedly shared with his wife of nearly thirty
years (though to be honest, at night he lies beside her and dreams of
other women), ready to face another ordinary day. Except that this day
is not ordinary, for on the previous Friday, Mr. Phillips was summarily
sacked. Unable to deal with this disaster—unable even to tell his
wife—Mr. Phillips rises at his usual hour and prepares himself, as
he has done his entire working life, for the job he no longer has.
Dressed for work with no work to do, Mr. Phillips wanders the streets of London, seeing the world as
if for the first time. What he sees triggers memories: some are improbably
funny, some deeply affecting, and all gradually build a portrait of a
decent man who only forty-eight hours before knew exactly who and what
he was—husband, father, son, valued employee, home owner—and
on this day wonders who and what he can become.
It is John Lanchester’s great gift as a writer that, using the bits and pieces of Mr. Phillips’s
past, he compresses into this short novel a fully experienced life and,
in the process, makes him a kind of Everyman for our times.
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1. For much of the novel, the author refers to his protagonist as "Mr. Phillips" as opposed
to his first name. What does he accomplish by doing so? What is the significance
of Lanchester’s choice of Victor as Mr. Phillips’ first name
considering the events that befall the character?
2. How would you describe the depiction of women in Mr. Phillips? What is your opinion of Mrs. Phillips
and Clarissa Colingford? To what extent do you feel that this opinion
is influenced by the fact that these women are described through the voice
of Mr. Phillips instead of an impartial narrator?
3. In some sense, Mr. Phillips is a voyeur—watching the women playing tennis in the park,
staring at people in their cars, viewing the adult film. In what sense
is the reader also a voyeur in terms of observing both the people Mr.
Phillips watches and Mr. Phillips himself?
4. John Lanchester employs a unique method of transitioning between chapters, often making an inexplicable
jump in chronological order. How does this add to the mood of the novel?
Do you view this as Lanchester’s comment on our tendency to "lose"
parts of our day because of their monotony only to recall the specifics
from memory if so required?
5. What do you make of Mr. Phillips’ preoccupation with numbers and calculations? Does
it contribute to his lack of emotional intensity or is it simply a manifestation
of it?
6. Mr. Phillips focuses on numerous aspects of business, from the promises of the travel agent’s
posters to the disregard with which Mr. Wilkins fires Mr. Phillips. What
major comments do you feel this novel makes regarding the influence of
the corporate world on our everyday lives?
7. In what ways does his experience with the bank robbery prove to be a maturation process
for Mr. Phillips? Do you feel that his survival in the face of danger
will provide enough of an impetus for him to tell Mrs. Phillips that he
has been fired?
8. What compels Mr. Phillips to help the elderly woman with her grocery bags? Is this ultimately
an act of kindness or an attempt by Mr. Phillips to reconfirm his own
usefulness? In what ways does the story of Mr. Erith relate to that of
Mr. Phillips?
9. The final line of the novel ("He has no idea what will happen next") does not
provide the normal sense of closure. Is this a disappointment to the reader
or the appropriate way to finish the novel? What do you see as the future
of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips?
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"A writer whose gifts border on the demonic."—Michael Upchurch, Chicago Tribune
"His writing has the clarity and zing of fine cut glass."—USA Today
"Mr. Lanchester is a commanding writer."—Richard Bernstein, New York Times
"Lanchester has clearly learned from the masters. I can’t imagine where he goes after such a breathtaking debut—but wherever it is, I look forward to tagging along."—Pam Lamber, People (in reference to The Debt to Pleasure)
