About a Boy by: Nick Hornby

review by: Janna Gartland '04

Have you ever wondered what happened to Ellie in the movie About a Boy? Find out . . . read the book!

I found About a Boy to be much more interesting than the movie, because there was much more character development, especially with the characters of Ellie and Fiona, in the book. This book is like nothing else that I have every read, though and I found that exhilarating! Nick Hornby's writing is so unique and I would recommend reading the book just to experience his unique style of writing. Hornby is able to show the characters in a realistic way and gives them comical lines; the author doesn't tell the story, but shows the story. As the reader you will be able to interact with the story and you will feel like you are right there with Will. You not only learn about Will as a character, but you are able to get into his mind and understand his way of thinking. You, as the reader, get to know all of his thoughts and what is going on in his mind. The reader is able to see a change in Will's thinking from the beginning of the book to the end.

Will is a very comical character and he lets you, the reader, into all his thoughts. His humor along with Hornby's unique writing style will surely intrigue you and interest you. An example of the wonderful way that Hornby uses language to show his reader the story follows. It is a quote from Will and a single mother when he is at a SPAT (Single Mothers Alone Together) meeting.

"And does your ex see Ned?" [a SPAT mother asks Will]

"Sometimes. She's not really that bothered." He was beginning to feel better; it was good to be the bearer of bad news about women. True, this bad news was entirely fictitious, but there was, he thought, an emotional truth here somewhere, and he could see now that his role-playing had a previously unsuspected artistic element to it. He was acting, yes, but in the noblest, most profound sense of the word. He wasn't a fraud. He was Robert De Niro (41).

Not only does Hornby's language intrigue the reader, but also the reader will enjoy the humor and will get a "behind the scenes" look at Will. All in all the story is very interesting and lets you connect to the characters much more than you could in the movie. The book also develops many more plot lines and fills the movie out. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for something fun to read!