'Tunnel Vision' is one to skip

I'm confused by British people.\nWith that out of the way, "Tunnel Vision," Keith Lowe's debut novel, is a dismal attempt at explaining the British fascination with the London Underground.\nThe premise of the novel is a tad farfetched. The protagonist (and I am using this term loosely) is a trainspotter and tube fanatic who is willing to risk his impending marriage to the girl of his dreams for a collection of vintage tube tickets.\nThe bet he has made with his mate Rolf, who is conveniently enough the antagonist, is that he can travel throughout the entire London Underground in less than 24 hours. Keep in mind, that is traveling through over 240 tube stations in the oldest subway system in the world. Oh yeah, and the world record for such a feat is around 19 hours. Strikes me as an implausible feat at best, but whatever. I suppose it makes for a good enough premise. \nAndy is assisted throughout his journey by a tramp he came upon at the first station on his journey. The tramp, Brian, inexplicably guides Andy throughout the day, averting near disaster time and time again. Rolf has hidden Andy's personal effects throughout the sprawling Underground, and it is Andy's task to retrieve them within his time frame. How does his marriage come into the picture? He has wagered his train tickets to Paris, where his wedding is to be held, as well as his honeymoon reservations. \nDid I mention Andy's fiancée hates the London Underground with a passion?\nMaybe I have to be British to understand this fixation with the Underground. I really can't see this type of story happening in the bowels of the New York City subway. Subways are great; they are an efficient and convenient mode of transportation in major cities. They are not fascinating and engrossing beings worth throwing your life away for. \nDespite the ludicrousness of the plot, there are several more problems with the book. The characters are completely static. There is no growth in Andy's outlook on life or the tube. I'm left with the feeling that if it all happened again tomorrow, Andy would make the same wager. Brian has no other purpose than that of a guardian angel. He does nothing but mindlessly push Andy further and further. Neither of the two men think for even a second that the bet is stupid and foolish, a fact that was immediately apparent to me. \nBy the end of the novel I didn't even really care if Andy made it to Paris in time to get married. I didn't care whether or not he was still friends with Rolf. I didn't care if Brian stayed in touch with Andy. In fact, I was just really glad that I was done with the book.