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Theroux The Keyhole

When the world went weird (and so did I)

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Theroux The Keyhole

By: Louis Theroux
Narrated by: Louis Theroux
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Summary

Come round to Louis Theroux’s house where the much-loved TV documentary-maker, podcaster and bestselling author of Gotta Get Theroux This finds himself in unexpected danger . . .

Like millions of others, Louis’ plans were mothballed by the onset of Covid. Unable to escape to the porn sets, prisons and maximum-security psychiatric units that are his usual journalistic beat, he began reporting on a location even more full of pitfalls and hostile objects of inquiry: his own home during a pandemic.

Theroux the Keyhole is an honest, hilarious and ultimately heartwarming diary of the weirdness of family life in Covid World. A wife intolerant of his obsession with Joe Wicks’ daily workouts. Two teenage sons, inseparable from their videogames, for whom he is increasingly 'cringe'. A five-year-old happily spamming out videos on his own new TikTok account while on holiday with his oblivious family.

Louis also describes how he launches his podcast, Grounded, finally gets to the US to film a new Joe Exotic documentary and aims his sights on the latest incarnation of the far right in a world becoming radicalized by social media. Theroux the Keyhole is Louis at his insightful best, as he faces unforeseen new challenges and wonders why it took a pandemic for him to learn that what really matters in life is right in front of him.

Read by Louis Theroux, in his usual witty style.

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Critic reviews

He just has a sincere desire to understand people.

Even against the horrific backdrop of Covid, [this] book is all the more charming, and blackly amusing, for it.

All stars
Most relevant
I loved Louis documenting of his pandemic times very honest and heartwarming Funniely told must read

loved it

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Reminded of the milestones to date re Covid, George Floyd and the 2 fluffy haired clowns.
Well worth a listen

Things I'd forgotten

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A very honest account of living through the last couple of years. Thought provoking, funny, ordinary, moving. A must listen

Brilliant

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TL:DR (or strictly speaking, "too long, didn't listen to" in this case): Emotionally downtrodden Middle-class lefty journalist whinges about looking after his own kids during lockdown, presumably forgetting his part in creating them. But, ya know. it's Louis, so of course I'm going to listen to it, and I'll forgive the Trump derangement and the misconceptions about socio-political issues. I suppose it's refreshing that he didn't go full normie though, he is at least a lockdown sceptic and a half-hearted NHS clapper.

I have to say, I found Art, Jack and Ray to be the funniest things in the book. However, Louis wife comes across as utterly insufferable and I found myself disliking her. Louis, possibly unintentionally, paints her as the pantomime villain of his diary. She's written as a shrill, indignant, entitled, narcissistic horror; nagging, gas-lighting and guilt-tripping our bespectacled hero into even more self reproach and self doubt than usual. The way he constantly apologizes for her throughout indicate an abusiveness that he is too guilt-laden from his time spent away working to recognise.

But then (spoiler alert) she gets the coof at the end, and because she has Asthma she does suffer with it, and I felt myself feeling like a nasty, mysoginistic curmudgeon for disliking her. I guess if Covid has taught me anything, it's to be more forgiving of people's foibles, even if those foibles make you want to smash your own head through the nearest wall. So, and I'm going to sound like Louis now...

...sorry Nancy.

Sounds like Louis needs to get divorced...

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a hand on heart,honest account to the years of lockdown. loved it from start to finish. it was painful at times and laugh out loud funny at times.
I highly recommend this

yet another fantastic book by Louis

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