Book Review for About A Boy

Genre: Coming-Of-Age

Disclaimer: Reading is all about the joy of discovery, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.

The Analysis:

So typically when I read I have my writers hat on and because of that I havent been able to enjoy a book in a long time. About A Boy changed that.

Heres the Blurb:

Will Freeman may have discovered the key to dating success: If the simple fact that they were single mothers meant that gorgeous women – women who would not ordinarily look twice a Will – might not only be willing, but enthusiastic about dating him, then he was really onto something. Single mothers – bright, attractive, available women – thousands of them, were all over London. He just had to find them.

SPAT: Single Parents – Alone Together. It was a brilliant plan. And Will wasn’t going to let the fact that he didn’t have a child himself hold him back. A fictional two-year-old named Ned wouldn’t be the first thing he’d invented. And it seems to go quite well at first, until he meets an actual twelve-year-old named Marcus, who is more than Will bargained for…

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In true Traditional Publishing fashion, there have been many reiterations of this cover. The one I read was a much older cover than this one. But I’ll only speak on this one. It’s not my style. Without prior knowledge into the movie, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. However, I do think it perfectly depicts the relationships in the story. Comment below what you think?

Now The Story:

Book Info:
Pages: 336
Author: Nick Hornby
Available: On Google Play

It occurred to me that because I’m picturing the actor who starred in the movie it allows me to more thoroughly enjoy the book. I can even find some off-color jokes funny. Simply because I know he plays the eclectic stuffy jerk with the heart of gold. However, if this was an original character with no point of reference, he’d probably be a little hard to swallow. As it was I loved this book and the vacation it gave me.

Some cons, this book is long. Thanks to the personalities of the main characters its never boring. But by chapter 12, I’m craving more interaction between the two mains and I realized it took them this long just to meet.

I disagree with some reviewers assertions that this book somehow takes potshots at single moms. It denies the truth. There are some good moms struggling to keep it together and then there’s Marcus’ mom (lol).

1) She committed suicide and never got any help for it.
2) Her actions prior to Will’s introduction seem to imply that shes man crazy.
3) Shes decided that new-age hippy parenting is the way to go in the public school system.

As if the last 100 years of scarred adults hadn’t disproved that. (And no I’m not better for it, bullied person speaking here. I don’t let it define me. But that time period was emotional hell.) What parent wouldn’t do all they could to help him avoid it or at least wipe his tears? She’s too self-absorbed. Rant over.

Let’s discuss #2 further. It’s easy to brush off her response to Will as, oh she has standards. But she doesn’t know what the reader does about Will and his many lies. All she sees is a successful single father. And she didn’t dig in enough to even feel him out. Could she possibly not be attracted to him because shes used to self-destructive jerks?

Sure, there’s a cringy moment where he’s telling himself why he’s better for Marcus then her and it comes off as a little misogynistic but that doesn’t invalidate for all the reasons I’ve stated above, that he just might be, but not for the reasons he thinks.

And she only got better at parenting when faced with the idea that there was someone else in Marcus’ life that might be better at. Will pretty much pushed her out of her own self-absorbed world into the one of her childs. Where she should have been the whole time? Will is very much the catalyst for change for Marcus and his mother. Although he’s only a better man because of Marcus.

Cons of book, even with the extra rope I gave this loveable oof. Even I found myself disappointed when Marcus said that he couldn’t call Will his best friend. And that he was affected by his actions. I was also a little upset when Will failed to recognize that when Marcus called him friend he meant it. Do characters like this exist in real life? Or was this an author just throwing another boulder into the road of there forming relationship? With Marcus preconceived “weirdness” shouldn’t his declaration been more believable, not less. The author in me said no to all of thee above. This is Will’s dark night of the soul. Despite it being quite ugly to read.

I wish the author had avoided making Wills new girlfriend also someone who considered suicide. If only to avoid the cliche that no single mother ever has there shit together because that’s just not true. Rachel could have empathized with Fiona without that tidbit in her own background. Let’s talk crazy:

“He didn’t want to have sex with Fiona, but he hadn’t realized that in order to make her feel better he had to act in exactly the same way as if he did want to sleep with her. He didn’t want to think about what that meant.”
used some paraphrasing here not exact quote in book.

My main thought: Aint no damn way being a basic human being is this hard. You give men a bad name. Like what are you even talking about? Just listen, no extra bs.

Overall by the last chapter, I was thinking to myself this book is too long. Going back to my first Con when I started this. When the author wrapped back around to Will and Rachael after the climax my eyes rolled in the back of my head. Like how much story is left? What more is there to say? That felt done to me. You done. I’m done. I almost skipped it until the table of contents reminded me this was the last chapter.

And this fellow authors is why TOC is very much still necessary. For those indies still having that debate.

What’s also necessary, the throat punch you want to give this boys mother at the end at the mere suggestion that she was only depressed because of Marcus who was only weird, he was definitely no Ellie for god’s sake. What is she going on about? And I’m only using the word weird because the book does. The kid has an old soul. I love it. I’d love a son like that. Anyway, throw Fiona in the trash. I’m done.

Story At A Glance:

Recommendation: Yes; 4 out of 5

The Ratings:

Book Cover Appeal:

🍓🍓

Story & Narration:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Romance:

NOT APPLICABLE: Will does find love but it’s so inconsequential I’d be forced to rate this a 1 strawberry. So I’m ranking this solely as a coming of age story.

Sex Scenes:

NOT APPLICABLE

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