Kill Your Friends

For the upcoming film adaptation of the novel, see Kill Your Friends (film).

Kill Your Friends is the first novel by the Scottish writer John Niven published in 2008 by William Heinemann.

Plot summary

The novel is set in 1997 at the height of the Britpop music scene. The protagonist, Steven Stelfox, is unhappy about his current position as an A&R agent in the record company he works for in London. Stelfox, uninterested in most music, is jealous of his coworkers' success in finding successful fledgling musical acts and hatches a series of devious acts that leaves several dead on his road to self-fulfilled glory and recognition.

Critical response

While the protagonist and plot have been compared to American Psycho,[1] the satirical nature pointing out the money interests of the music industry has been the hysterically dark selling point of the novel.[2][3]

Film adaptation

A feature film is being adapted based on the novel, directed by Owen Harris, script written by John Niven. Nicholas Hoult, Craig Roberts, Tom Riley, and Georgia King star in the film.[4]

References

  1. ↑ The Guardian, review.
  2. ↑ The Independent, review.
  3. ↑ Philadelphia Weekly, review.
  4. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (10 March 2014). "Music Biz Satire ‘Kill Your Friends’ Starts to Shoot in London". variety.com. Retrieved 11 March 2014.