SEBASTIAN Faulks is not usually seen as an author who indulges in the art of black comedy. But he has done just that in his new novel which describes the life and times of Engleby, a man who survived his student years at a Cambridge university by being an

SEBASTIAN Faulks is not usually seen as an author who indulges in the art of black comedy.

But he has done just that in his new novel which describes the life and times of Engleby, a man who survived his student years at a Cambridge university by being an outsider.

Our hero - maybe not quite the right description - appears to be a confident young man making his way in the world.

But Faulks has the skill to delve below the surface and create a character which in its way becomes rather disturbing.