I spent a little time in London this year, an adventure that started on the roof of a “Toppers’ House” on New Year’s Eve, a place where people go to off themselves. A Long Way Down was the first Nick Hornby book I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.

It was a quick, fun read, mostly dialogue, and I can see why his books translate so well to movies. I’ll have to read High Fidelity and About a Boy and Fever Pitch, sometime in the future when the movies aren’t so fresh in my memory.

Anyway, Hornby has a way of turning tough situations into comedy. I have a small obsession with the subject of suicide, so I really loved how he handled the topic in A Long Way Down.

Every one of the characters is suicidal and sad, each in a unique way. I have never been suicidal, but I have a lot of loved ones who have been plagued with thoughts of suicide. So, I often wonder what makes them feel that way, other than having a crappy life in general.

Although A Long Way Down is funny, all four of the characters are well drawn, real people with real motivations. I guess it really helps to step back and laugh at yourself sometimes, stop taking yourself so seriously. Or consider some good medication anyway.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 7th, 2007 at 5:54 pm and is filed under UK and Ireland. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.