Americans have long been fascinated with the oddness of the British but we, says literary critic Terry Eagleton, find our transatlantic neighbours just as strange. Only an alien race would admiringly refer to a colleague as aggressive, use superlatives to describe everything from one’s pet dog to one’s record collection or speak frequently of being empowered. And why must they remain so irritatingly optimistic, even when all signs point to failure?

On his quirky journey through the language, geography and national character of the United States, Eagleton proves to be an informal and utterly idiosyncratic guide. He answers the questions we (being British) dare not ask, like why Americans willingly rise at the crack of dawn, even on Sundays or why they publicly chastise cigarette smokers as if they’re all spokespeople for the surgeon general.

In this pithy, warm-hearted and very funny book, Eagleton melds a good old-fashioned roast with genuine admiration for his neighbours across the pond .