From the Archives: Book 6: "About a Boy" by Nick Hornby

 

 

Book 6: "About a Boy" by Nick Hornby

Verdict: Good, not a must read, but a good story.

"About a Boy" by Nick Hornby isn't a book you need to pick apart to find the message in. The message is simple: it's better to not be alone in life; you need someone to share it with. This simple message is, however, shown throughout the book to be a hard one to accept.

"About a Boy" follows two main characters, each with their own narrative. The first character is Will, an adult, who, in many ways, is still a child; Will doesn't work, lives off royalties from his father's famous Christmas song, and has no real relationships. He drops his adult friends when they have children. Will also finds himself having difficulty relating to adults for this reason. The second main character is Marcus, an adolescent boy that is an outcast with home problems. Marcus begins the book feeling just fine about the fact that it's just his "mum" and him. However, when his mum attempts suicide he realizes he needs more people in his life, so that should she succeed in the future, he's not left alone.

Through a series of slightly hilarious and still rather depressing events Marcus and Will, reluctantly, find each other to fill the void of loneliness.

Nick Hornby is sarcastic and the book is really fun to read, even with the many depressing scenes. The characters are who drive this novel, making the reader turn the page to see what they will do or say next.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book. I wouldn't call it a light read, due to the serious content, but it's not really a book that makes you think too much either; everything is right on the surface for you to pick up.

~Side Note~
If you've seen the movie (and I don't say this often) it's actually a really good adaptation. I felt like this character was created for Hugh Grant to play. So enjoy the book AND the movie, a thing that can't often happen (for me anyway).