Book of the Month
A Long Way Down
By
Nick Hornby
Published by
Viking
Cost €14.50
Four people - two men and two women - set out separately on New Year's Eve, to climb to the top of a high building in order to commit suicide by jumping. The building is appropriately named - Topper's House. It is in London.
They don't take the plunge. Instead, they connect with each other. From then on, in this gripping novel, we follow them through the ups and downs of their separate and connected lives.
This could easily have been a depressing book but it is far from it. It is funny, albeit darkly so. It is thought provoking and challenging.
The first character we meet is Martin, who is a former TV presenter. He has seriously messed up his life. He has slept with a fifteen-year-old girl and in consequence has served a prison sentence. His wife and children have abandoned him and he is the focus of much righteous indignation from the population at large. So, he believes he has good reason to end it all.
Then there is Maureen. She is the mother of a seriously handicapped boy called Matty. He has taken over her life so completely that she is isolated, lonely, and at the end of her tether. Only one thing, she believes, could make her happy - the death of Matty.
As this is unlikely, she plots her getaway, takes measures to ensure Matty's safety and heads for Topper's House. Here she meets Martin, who is already sitting on a ledge trying to psyche himself up for the jump.
Then Jess appears. She is the madcap daughter of a junior government minister. Her boyfriend has broken up with her and won't return her calls or meet with her. Her sister, at some previous time, vanished without trace. Jess, despite her tough exterior, is lost and vulnerable, and her parents are not exactly understanding or supportive. She rushes headlong towards a jumping point on Topper's House only to be grabbed and saved by Martin.
Later JJ arrives. He is an American who is on a pizza-delivery run. He is desperate because he has failed to become the great rock musician he has wanted to be - hence his choice of Topper's House.
All four would-be suicide victims decide to share and eat the pizzas that were destined for other people. While so doing, they make real connections with one another, despite their vastly different backgrounds and characters.
As the story progresses we become more and more intimate with each of the four of them. Each struggles to survive awful circumstances. They nudge and challenge each other in many ways. They reflect on their lives. They grow and eventually develop some personal hope and find real reasons to live out their lives.
A Long Way Down raises some serious issues relating to all our lives. It says much about the nature of community, personal hope, despair, and institutional care vis-à-vis spontaneous human friendship. Above all, it says a lot about the validity of the life of each individual.
WIN!!
To win a copy of this book, answer the following question correctly and send in your answer. One winner will be selected at random.
The name of Nick Hornby’s latest novel is:
A High Fidelity
B Fever Pitch
C A Long Way Down
See here for details on how to enter our competition
