I found myself laughing at times where perhaps the "P.C. Brigade" wouldnt approve - great stuff!


Fun but unsatisfying - some mild *spoilers*, I guess   May 8, 2005
 25 out of 32 found this review helpful

The first thing to say about this book is that it is a pleasure to read. I bought it on the Friday it came out, and had devoured it by Sunday evening. I definitely enjoyed reading it and was keen to find out what happened next. The four main characters were interesting and individual, with the exception of Martin, who I found annoying and unsympathetic to the extent that his presence in the story felt like an intrusion; I couldn't really figure out what he was doing there. The others, however, JJ, Jess, and particularly Maureen, were engaging and vivid, and I really wanted to see what would happen to them. The humour was good, not overdone, and made me laugh out loud once or twice.

I have to admit that I felt somewhat let down by the plot. Hornby goes to great pains to distance himself from the sort of story where everybody cheerfully finds catharsis and healing; but it ends up feeling like he protests too much. This is a problem I've noticed before with About A Boy; despite the author's best efforts, everybody grows and learns in a rather cliche manner. Even reading the book now, it already feels like you're watching the inevitable film adaptation with 'moving' music playing in the background. It wouldn't be so much of a problem if the book had a single hero, but with four heroes, the pattern becomes uncomfortably obvious. I don't feel that I'm giving too much away by saying that there is a fairly happy ending, but Hornby keeps trying to tell us that it isn't REALLY a happy ending. He's wrong. It is. He gives us a happy ending, and tries to tone it down and disguise it as a merely 'hopeful' ending, but I'm not fooled. I wasn't expecting some sort of gothic tragedy novel where everybody gets massacred, but I can't help feeling a bit patronised.

Overall, I would still recommend this novel for anyone looking for a fun read. It's a Big Mac of a book - ultimately unsatisfying, and not quite as worthy as it should be, but very enjoyable while it lasts.