Berg (novel)

[2] Berg is set in the English seaside town of Brighton, which was also where Quin grew up, and her home for most of her life, until her death by suicide in 1973; the action takes place in winter when the resort was empty and desolately atmospheric.

However, Quin also includes elements of British spy fiction and the crime novel, in the melodramatic way the son stakes out his father's flat and tries to kill the old man; Giles Gordon detected the influence of Graham Greene.

[1][4] John Coleman gave it a mixed review in The Guardian, finding an "unusual, rather funny story" hidden beneath Quin's challenging prose, which he criticised for "self-indulgence" but praised for her descriptions and brutal dialogue.

[5] Mary Conroy in the Sunday Times called it "Beckett minus his humour and variety"; although she found the childhood scenes vivid, she complained about Quin's recourse to sexual violence and the confusing style.

[2][7] Berg was adapted into the 1989 film Killing Dad, written and directed by Michael Austin and starring Richard E Grant as the son, Denholm Elliott as the father, and Julie Walters as the mistress, Judith.