How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Advantages:
Entertaining, interesting, well - observed
Disadvantages:
None
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
WHY THIS BOOK?
I haven’t read much fiction this year. In fact, only five of the twenty-seven books I have read so far in 2007 have been fiction. But I did make an effort to read this one – A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.
I bought it, because I enjoyed his previous novel – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – and was interested to see what this one would be like. But I was also attracted by its theme of depression, as I have suffered with that myself, on and off for five years. So I bought the paperback version of the book from Amazon for £3.99. The cover price is £7.99.
It’s the sort of book you would probably notice on the shelves. It has a red front cover with a picture of a house, marquee and a man with an umbrella. This fits in well with the content of the story.
The novel is around 500 pages long, but it is split into short chapters, so it doesn’t look too daunting and is an easy read.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT THEN?
George and Jean are a retired couple with two grown up children, Katie and Jamie. On the surface, everything looks cosy. They have a nice house and an apparently idyllic existence. But – as with most families – scratch under the surface and you find secrets, deceptions, unresolved issues and hang ups.
Jean is having an affair and is contemplating her future with George. Katie is considering marrying a man she probably doesn’t love, while Jamie is thinking of dumping a man he probably does love. And in the middle of it all, George is fighting to keep his sanity.
It is about many things – ageing, infidelity, self-esteem, love, companionship, sex, desire, happiness, security, prejudice, class, tradition – and especially about people and family. Everyone will find something or someone in here that they can relate to.
BUT IS IT ANY GOOD?
Yes, definitely. I really enjoyed it.
The characters are beautifully written and skillfully constructed, so as you read, you discover more about them and feel you get to know them better. You see them reacting to their family and friends and in various situations. Just as in real life, they act differently in private to their behaviour in public. They chat in a different way to their friends than they do to their parents or distant relatives.
It is very well observed and therefore realistic. Everything in this book is possible and believable, but that does not make it dull. There is plenty of humour and farce about the novel, so that the overall tone is light and fun, but there are plenty of serious, dark and sad elements.
Each character goes on a journey throughout the book, coming out the other end changed in some way – usually for the better. But the rocky road provides plenty of adventure along the way. It feels rather like a soap opera, where we feel we know the characters personally and want them to solve their problems, marry the right man, make the right decisions and come up smiling.
George’s depression is very different to my experience of it, but there were some elements I recognised and I certainly felt sympathy for him. I could relate to the apathy and having a ‘safe place’ but his symptoms were much more severe than mine have been.
It is the sort of book you get into easily, then want to keep reading to find out what happens to everyone. I have had several late nights this week, when I have gone to bed, but still been awake an hour or more later, playing the ‘Just one more chapter’ game with myself.
Mark Haddon gets into the minds of his characters really well, regardless of age or gender. He describes the retired George just as well as little Jacob, his grandson. If I did not know who was the author of this book, I would have problems guessing their gender and age, because Haddon doesn’t seem to favour one over another. This has the added appeal of making his novels equally accessible to both men and women. This is neither chick lit like Jill Mansell nor bloke lit like Nick Hornby. I can see my husband enjoying this as much as I did.
Having said that, it isn’t really suitable for pre-teens because of the language and imagery used. It also wouldn’t be the best book to buy for your prudish spinster aunt – you know, the one who raises her eyebrows if you utter the word ‘bloody’ and still thinks the word ‘gay’ means happy. But otherwise, I would recommend it.
I really enjoyed it, read it quickly and will remember it for a while too. It is well written, holds your interest throughout and is a good view of modern society and our roles within it.
I enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, but I think A Spot of Bother was even better. It gets a nine out of ten from me.
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