So Monday I was stuck at MD Anderson all day for an MRI and then I had to see the neurosurgeon. I took A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby with me since a friend lent it to me a while ago and she keeps asking me what I think of it. Basically its a book about four strangers who run into each other on the roof a building in London on New Years Eve. They all want to kill themselves that night for one reason or another, but after talking they all decided to put it off for a while. The story takes off from there.
This is the first books I've read of his. I have to say its the first time I have read a book that I wasn't totally thrilled with, but was interested in reading something else by the same author. I liked the guy's writing style. I like how he developed each character and how they each had their own style of writing. Pretty cool. Not many authors could do that. Some authors have problems changing their style book by book, let alone character by character.
Anyway. I felt there was a lot of bantering that we could have gone with out. In some ways I think it drove home just how pointless life is sometimes. The book group was a good example of that. What are book groups anyway besides ways for people to take up time so they don't have to spend time thinking about killing themselves. The whole book made me think about all the extra noise we fill ourselves with so we don't have to be with ourselves. I don't know if that is what Hornby was going for or not, but that alone saved the whole thing for me. Still, I'm glad I borrowed this one and didn't buy it. I don't see myself ever wanting to pick it up again. So I gave it 3 stars out of 5 instead of 4. (And that is giving him extra points for not falling for so many of the obvious cliches that plague so many stories these days.)
This is the first books I've read of his. I have to say its the first time I have read a book that I wasn't totally thrilled with, but was interested in reading something else by the same author. I liked the guy's writing style. I like how he developed each character and how they each had their own style of writing. Pretty cool. Not many authors could do that. Some authors have problems changing their style book by book, let alone character by character.
Anyway. I felt there was a lot of bantering that we could have gone with out. In some ways I think it drove home just how pointless life is sometimes. The book group was a good example of that. What are book groups anyway besides ways for people to take up time so they don't have to spend time thinking about killing themselves. The whole book made me think about all the extra noise we fill ourselves with so we don't have to be with ourselves. I don't know if that is what Hornby was going for or not, but that alone saved the whole thing for me. Still, I'm glad I borrowed this one and didn't buy it. I don't see myself ever wanting to pick it up again. So I gave it 3 stars out of 5 instead of 4. (And that is giving him extra points for not falling for so many of the obvious cliches that plague so many stories these days.)
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