Eats, Shoots & Leaves

By Lynne Truss

2003, Profile Books Ltd.

For a book on punctuation to become a number one bestseller in the UK and in the USA, it must be something very special - perhaps. Written by a self-professed stickler living "in a world of rapidly plummeting punctuation standards", the book claims to be a rallying call: "Sticklers unite".

Vast numbers of reviews have been written pointing out Truss's inconsistencies and vagueness, presumably by those who are even greater sticklers than the author herself. (You will find one of the most vitriolic here.) And yet such reviews miss the point entirely. Yes, the humour can be laboured at times; yes, Truss is far from consistent in her own use of punctuation; yes, she fails almost entirely to take account of the differences in traditional punctuation practice between the UK and the USA; and yes, her treatment of the traditional rules of punctuation is haphazard and often misinformed. But this remains an enjoyable, useful and influential book.

The most frequent sources of misunderstanding and, dare I say it, error are dealt with in a way which is easily understood. Truss manages to convey the sense of the rules without getting too bogged down in the details or the many exceptions. Above all, she forces readers to think about their own use of punctuation, and that, to be sure, is no bad thing. This is not a definitive guide to correct punctuation if you write for a living, but it does give some useful guidelines and insights for those of us who still need to write clear, communicative English every day.

It is unfortunate that the book was not adapted for the American market. The humour, often tiresome even for this British reader, is parochial and oh-so-English, and punctuation practice differs considerably in some respects between the two variants of English. I am surprised that it nevertheless became a bestseller stateside.

Be upset by it, sing its praises, tut about the inconsistencies and enjoy the jokes; whatever you do, read it - and then buy a reliable style guide if you wish to be a real stickler.

Lynne Truss is a writer and broadcaster and has been a columnist with various newspapers and magazines.

Reviewed by: Phil White
Date reviewed: 15 Oct 2005