Skios

by Michael Frayn,

This book is by the author of the play Copenhagen about the physicists Neils Bohr and Heisenberg meeting in the Danish city.  This books is very different from the heady stuff of "Copenhagen".  The book is a Man Booker nominee for 2012.

It takes place on a Greek Island, Skios, where a foundation that is promoting study of European culture is having its annual conference, featuring a reknowned guest speaker, and with many rich and influential people in attendance.  The Keynote Speaker, Norman Wilfred, is not looking forward to the prospect of another speech at another conference, but things go worse than he expected.  A young con man, Oliver Fox, identifies himself as the Doctor to a young woman waiting to met Dr. Wilfred and take him to the foundation, he also inadvertently takes Wildred's luggage.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wildfred is angry that his luggage has been lost and by the time he leaves the airport the only taxi remaining takes him to the villa which was supposed to be Oliver Fox's destination -- he was supposed to rendezvous there with a recent love interest.  He gets to the Foundation and is very successful in convincing everyone that he is the brilliant Doctor.  Interestingly, one of Dr. Wilfred's school chums is at the Foundation event and is aware that Oliver Fox is a fraud, but he doesn't tell anyone.

Like scens from one of Shakespeare's comedies, except that the characters have cell phones (which often go dead) and the mode of transport is taxis, characters run around chasing each other; there is some illegal activity underway by some of the guests and just as Oliver is about to deliver a speech, pretending to be Dr. Wildred, all hell breaks loose, with many lives lost.

Oliver, it seems, is able to escape from the carnage, but two people who are entirely innocent, are arrested.  Dr. Wilfred is charged with several crimes, including inciting public disorder and being an accessory in the deaths of numerous people and Annuka Vos, Oliver's original girlfriend (one of two on the island planning to holiday with him) is charged with attempted murder, for pummeling the police for arresting Dr. Wilfred.

I don't read comedies very often but this was certainly a funny book and hard to put down.