How to Be Good: Somehow, this novel slipped through the cracks for me even though I had read and loved "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy." What was wrong with me?
Well, that's not worth exploring, but in this book, Hornby explores what's wrong with a troubled relationship. He writes from the POV of Katie, a doctor whose marriage to a passive-aggressive crank named David is in trouble. David undergoes a sudden spiritual transformation one day, and Katie and their two kids must deal with his desire to be a good person, which sounds great except that he wants to give away material possessions, lend spare rooms to random homeless people, and generally do all sorts of things that, while well intentioned, are really inconvenient. And he does this all with the help of an oddball healer/guru type who moves in.
Katie's hand-wringing over what it means to be good is an entertaining journey into the world of liberal guilt. I don't use that phrase as some kind of political statement here; I'm just saying that Hornby describes the conflict between what we say we want for the world and how much we're actually willing to do. Katie becomes increasingly annoyed with David's plans, even though they're sincere--sometimes maybe because they're sincere--but she always remains a likable, identifiable character.
This is a sharp, funny novel which appears to head towards a pat ending, but ends in a place a lot more ambiguous and unsettling than you expect--well, at least than I expected. It's provocative and entertaining, but I don't see myself revisiting it like I do Hornby's classic "guy" novels that preceded this one.
I've written before about the cool little paperbacks that collect Hornby's book columns for "The Believer" magazine. The latest, 2008's "Shakespeare Wrote for Money," is also the last, as the author discontinued the feature. Each column lists what he read and what he bought in a particular month, then explains his choices and his takes.
These books are breezy and addictive, and I love them all. I must admit I love "Shakespeare" a tad less than the others, though. After all, he seems to be cruising a bit in these pieces, and one month he doesn't even write about books. Still, I'll take Hornby on cruise control over many others at their peak. After all, the guy is one of the bestest.
One refreshing thing about "The Believer" columns in this last collection is their touting of young adult fiction. Hornby was writing a YA novel of his own at the time, "Slam," and the process inspired him to explore the genre. One of the books he raves about in "Shakespeare" is David Almond's "Skellig."
"Skellig" is a charming story about life, death, mysterious beings, spirituality, and...uh, growing up, I guess. Isn't every YA novel about growing up? I enjoyed it, but I can't say I loved it so much I sought out other such books. I don't mean to be snobbish about young adult fiction; I just have a lot of other stuff in the hopper, and this didn't blow me away like I would have hoped after reading Hornby's comments.
This doesn't make me think any less of Nick. Don't let me make you think any less of "Skellig." It's a good book. It' s just not the bestest.
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