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Book Reviews Title Mr
Commitment Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story After
twenty-eight years of shirking responsibility
Duffy’s finally realising that he can’t
extend his adolescence forever. His low-paid
temping job is threatening permanency. His
gradually receding hairline is depressing him
greatly. And if that’s not enough his
long-suffering girlfriend, Mel, wants to get
engaged. Trips to IKEA,
dinner parties with married couples and talk of
babies, however, are giving Duffy cold feet. He
doesn’t have many worldly goods to share
– apart form the remote control for his TV,
the beers in the fridge and his record collection
– but can he really put his hand on his heart
and say ‘I Do’? He knows Mel’s the
one for him, so why is it he’d feel happier
swapping ‘Til death do us part’ for
‘Renewable on a four year
basis’? But the choice
is: all or nothing. So after a
lifetime as Mr Irresponsible does Duffy have what
it takes to become Mr Commitment? We
Say Two things put me
off Mr Commitment before I even reached page one.
First, the lead character is a ‘temp’.
Again. It seems that these days every author’s
answer to finding a suitable occupation for the
lead character is to make him or her a temp.
Secondly, and most importantly, whoever was in
charge of marketing and cover design needs a good
kick up the rear. Take the blurb on the front
cover: "Full of belly-laughs and painfully acute
observations". So, this book is great, right? Think
again. Read the tiny print underneath and
you’ll see that the quote is referring to the
author’s PREVIOUS book. An appalling and these
days too common attempt to give false credibility
to the book. Given the above,
it wouldn’t be all that surprising if the
reader was discouraged from liking this book.
However, all is not lost. Mr Commitment is worth
exploring. The lead characters are Duffy and his
girlfriend Mel. The story evolves around Mel
wanting to marry Duffy and he not being convinced
he’s ready for it. Much soul-searching and
exploring of the inner-self follows, much of it in
hilarious style. Duffy may be a temp but it’s
rarely mentioned. In fact, he’s a part-time
stand-up comic and this gives rise to some
interesting scenes. There are plenty of
smile-inducing moments. Things get interesting
when, no sooner has Duffy decided that yes, he IS
ready for marriage to Mel, she discovers that she
is pregnant and the whole uncertainty begins
again. You’ll enjoy
Mr Commitment, though perhaps for the wrong
reasons. The lead characters are not the selling
point here. Duffy is weak to the point of being a
push-over and Mel is annoying, unreasonable and
never stops being so. You will long for Duffy to
realise this and finally give up on the
ever-whinging drama-queen. No – the selling
points are the other characters. Duffy's sister,
Vernie, is a tower of strength to Duffy and very
likable but the hero of the day is Dan,
Duffy’s best friend. Witty, wild and very much
a lad, Dan is the tonic that brings Mr Commitment
to life. Funny
(occasionally very much) and mostly just about
believable, Mr Commitment is worth a week or two of
your time. Review by: Rob
Cook |
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