NICK HORNBY
[Type: Literary, Fiction]

It was good to read a British author after a long time--if only to read of "mums" rather than "mommies". The main mum who stars in this book makes her presence felt first by trying to commit suicide. This is Fiona, the single mother of the main character, Marcus, a 12-year-old boy who is endearingly weird because he's outdated. He listens to music that his mum does, but which would be considered dated even for her. He's serious and doesn't have many friends. But he does try to make some during the story.

Also starring is Will, a hyper-cool 36-year-old--he is way older than he should be for his coolness. He is the other extreme of Marcus--a young old guy whereas Marcus is an old kid. The two of them get together under "forced" circumstances--the force mainly coming from Marcus, who likes to go knock on Will's door after school and keep knocking until Will has to let him in. The initial reason for him to go to Will's home instead of his own is to mislead the school bullies who are tailing him to throw rocks on him and tease him. He hopes that they will think Will's house is his own, therefore concealing the location of his own home.

Will is single, has never been married, and has never done a day of work in his life either. He lives off the royalties of a single-hit-song that his dad wrote ages ago. He is as relaxed as you could imagine him to be, never under pressure to be working or building a career except when he's at a party trying to make conversation with a pretty woman he wants to go out with. What do you answer when they ask you "So what do you do?"

The way Will goes about getting his dates is a credit to his imagination, which is why it's hard to guess what's going to happen in this story. The dialogues are superbly natural, even when they're weird, entirely believable and you feel for little old Marcus while at the same time holding your sides from laughing.