The following podcast contains explicit language.

Welcome to the Slate Audio Book Club.

This episode, we're discussing John Lancaster's novel, Capital.

I'm Dan Coit's editor of the Slate Book Review here in Slate's D.C. studio.

Joining me from our New York studio is Emily Bazelon, a Slate's senior editor. Hi, Emily. Hey, Dan. And David Hagland, editor of Slate's culture blog, Brow Beat. Hi, David. Hi, Dan. Capital is a sprawling look at modern-day London, following a score of characters all revolving around a small street in Clapham in South London.

Some of the characters live on Peep's Road and are therefore fantastically rich, thanks simply to the incredible inflation of real estate prices in that trendy neighborhood.

Some of the characters work on Peep's Road, contractors, nannies, corner shop owners, parking

wardens, and the like.

And someone is sneaking around Peep's Road, taking photos, and sending personalized postcards,

reading, we want what you have.

I saw Lancaster read last month at Politics and Prose here in D.C., where he explained that he

set out specifically with this book to write a, quote, big London novel, which I guess is a

genre, in fact. It's a genre in and of itself in the same way that the big New York novel

is also a genre. So, David, I wanted to start with you. Where do you think that capital

fits in the canon of big London novels? Well, Dan, I'm afraid I have to begin the discussion on a somewhat contentious note because I reject the premise of your question.

Oh, my God, it's not about London.

I read the whole book and thought it was about London.

It is very much about London and is also big.

But I don't think that the London novel is a genre.

I think it's a category.

It's sort of a pseudo genre.

But, you know, the real genres, tragedy, romance, comedy, et cetera, they imply kinds of stories.

...