4 OCTOBER 1986, page 31

Fathers And Sins

Francis King GABRIEL'S LAMENT by Paul Bailey Cape, 19.95 I n Alan Bennett's entertaining new play Kafka's Dick, one of the characters re- marks that 'The only son who ever told......

The Charm Of An Indian Chatterbox

Andrew Robinson TALKATIVE MAN by R. K. Narayan Heinemann, £8.95 T hey call me Talkati affectionately shorten it to TM: I have earned this title, I suppose, because I cannot......