Language

Style of language

The language used in the short story “The North London Book of the Dead” by Will Self is neutral. The author uses colloquial words, like “crappy” (p. 120, l. 7), “whaddya” (p. 119, l. 25), or “shit” (p. 122, l. 9). There are also several informal expressions, like “chewed the fat” (p. 126, l. 30), “banged on” (p. 115, l. 14), or “eat humble pie” (p. 120, l. 37). All in all, these informal and colloquial words and expressions provide the narrator with an authentic voice. 

When it comes to the choice of words, the narrative contains several terms related to death or the supernatural: “strange sensations” (p. 113, l. 11), “corpse” (p. 114, l. 7), “spirit” (p. 114, l. 25) or “crematorium” (p. 115, ll. 29-30).

Similes

The simile “cancer tore through her body as if it were late for an important meeting with a lot o...