About a Self-Involved Jackass...and a Boy
Written: Apr 29 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wonderful prose, the character of Marcus is charming and perfectly written.
Cons: The character of Will.
The Bottom Line: A worthwhile read about the connections we as humans make (or don't make) and how it affects us. Read it for the character of Marcus alone.
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| goldmoon's Full Review: Nick Hornby et al - About a Boy Books |
It was a rainy weekend in Nebraska and my fiancee was gone for Army training...sounds like the perfect recipe for reading, doesn't it? And that's exactly what I did. In my two days of solitude (if you don't include the cat and dog), I polished off Nick Hornby's About a Boy and half of Stephen King's On Writing. Not a bad weekend's work, if I do say so myself.
Hornby's follow-up to High Fidelity (which I've never read, but heard good things about) follows the life of Will, a man in his late 30's who tries his best to stay uninvolved in life and his fellow human beings's lives. Will has never had to work a day in his life, thanks to a song his father wrote in the '30s (Santa's Super Sleigh). Will lives off the royalties and spends the rest of his time trying to pick up women he doesn't have to commit to, pitying his friends with the 'inconvenience' of family and basically filling his time with beer, weed, television and shopping. Will comes across the discovery that beautiful single mothers are much more likely to date him than beautiful non-single mothers, so Will invents a 3-year-old son named Ned and joins a single parenting group for the sole purpose of picking up chicks (yes, our Will is a fine individual, indeed). To make a long story short, Will accidentally gets involved in the life of Fiona (a suicidal single mother) and her 12-year-old son, Marcus. As Will struggles to stay away from the pair, Marcus struggles to make a connection with Will and won't take no for an answer.
Will
The character of Will really didn't sit well with me. He hasn't done anything with his life, doesn't seem to care if he ever does anything with his life and congratulates himself on the little he has to do with Fiona and Marcus in the beginning as if he's doing them this huge favor. He finds Fiona's attempt to take her life 'interesting if not quite amusing' and simply puts up with poor Marcus's company because he doesn't know how to get rid of him. Now, I know that every main character in every book should not be likeable and that Will's personality (or lack thereof) is one of the driving forces of the book. However, you would think that sweet Marcus's presence and then the presence of Rachel (a woman that Will can't help but fall in love with) would change the man a little. I never really saw him change, though, and continued to wonder throughout the book why 1. Marcus bothered to form a connection with him and 2. Why Rachel (a beautiful, talented woman who at first gets involved with him because he lies about Marcus being his son) would have anything to do with him.
Marcus
In my opinion, Marcus is the true hero of the book and the reason why I kept turning the pages. Anyone who ever felt like an outcast in school will relate to Marcus and his shabby haircut, unstylish clothing and sometimes strange mannerisms. Hornby creates this character perfectly. He's very intelligent, but not freakishly so for a 12-year-old. He's funny without trying to be funny (as many children are) and he's struggling desperately to fit into life--any part of life--in any way he can. He's a brave, wonderful heartbreaking character and one that will linger with me for a long, long time.
My Final Thoughts
About a Boy is a very well-written book that at times made me laugh out loud and at times made me tear up. Set in London, the language is colorful with much local slang that makes it that much more lovable. Marcus's quest to fit in at school, make his mother happy and surround himself with as many people as possible (for security) is one that many will be able to relate to because it's told perfectly from a 12-year-old's voice. Other than my desire to see the self-involved and often very unlikeable Will develop more of a conscience and a heart, I thought this was an excellent, fast read.
**note** After I was about a third of a way through the book, I saw a commercial about the movie version of About a Boy. Hugh Grant will play Will (and that's how I pictured him throughout the rest of the book) and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy) will also star, though I don't know if she'll play Rachel or Fiona. I didn't recognize the actor playing Marcus, but I hope he does this character justice.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
goldmoon
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Member: Angie
Location: The Land of Corn and Cows
Reviews written: 166
Trusted by: 72 members
About Me:
Busy at work and being a mommy...will hopefully return some day soon!
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