#aboutaboy

Since my children are huge Nick Hornby fans, I’ve been roped into reading a few of his books.  I have to confess, though, they’re actually really good…

Will has been insulating himself successfully against any real job or real purpose in life or real feelings, until he has the brilliant idea of finding women through a support group for single parents.  The fact that he has neither a spouse nor a real son does not stop him.  Through this group, he meets Marcus, an extremely awkward 12 year old boy, newly come to London, who worms his way into Will’s life and ultimately into Will’s heart.

Hornby has a unique writing style.  These characters begin fairly flatly, and throughout the book broaden and become more likable and colorful over time.  Both Will and Marcus have severe limitations at the outset of the book but they evolve into characters who can feel much more and who can express themselves much more as they both grow from the events in the story.

The story is told with warmth and humor and a rough honesty that is what makes Hornby’s writing so unique.  I have a feeling that these characters so simply written about will actually stay with me for a long time.