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Book Reviews Title About A
Boy Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story Marcus is twelve.
Will is thirty-six. Why can't they both act their
age? In his second novel Nick Hornby explores the
connections people make when the so-called ideal
family model does not apply. As he did with
football in Fever Pitch and with record collections
in High Fidelity, he keeps his eye on the subject
while revealing much more - always cutting through
received rubbish with a singular sense of purpose.
And in the process he connects with a huge number
of people who find his view of the world funny,
wise and disarmingly
entertaining. We
Say Well. That
back-cover blurb is complete twaddle and, had I not
read Nick Hornby's previous work, I doubt I would
particularly want to give this book a shot! One
day, perhaps, book covers will simply tell us what
the book is about and leave us to make our own
minds up. Perhaps... However, yes - I
HAVE read Hornby's previous novel 'High Fidelity'
and rate it amongst my top ten of all time. I
suspect many other people will purchase About A Boy
for the same reason. They will be in for a small
shock, though, because the two are quite different.
About A Boy
follows Will, a single thirty-six year old man who
is financially comfortable with little or no effort
thanks to the recording royalties of a relative.
Deciding that single mothers are the easiest way
for this quite shallow man to flit from one
relationship to the next, he joins up with SPAT
(Single Parents - Alone Together) and here is
where the fun begins. Will creates a fictional
child for himself and meets dysfunctional 'family'
Fiona and her twelve year old son Marcus. The deep
but insecure Marcus and the shallow but secure Will
do not immediately hit it off but become good
friends and somewhat reliant on each other for
quite different reasons. Yes, very
different to Hornby's previous work but equally
impressive. Many side-splitting moments - watch out
for the baguette at duck feeding time! About A Boy
has the right balance of humour, reflection on life
and has something of a serious side when the time
is right. Another cracker for the
author. Review by: Rob
Cook |
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