The book reading was hosted by Brookline Booksmith and was scheduled for 6pm. Instead of their usual basement location for guest authors, the event director organized it across the street at the Coolidge Corner Theater. Good move, I'd say - because except for maybe 1-2 seats in the back, the place was filled.
This event was in line with Nick Hornby's new book, A Long Way Down, which is about random people who all met at the top of the tower block - intending to commit suicide. What ensues is a (dysfunctional) friendship amongst them and a support group that is strengthened by their differences. Here is another topic, suicide-that is, that he (NH) was able to translate into lighthearted prose without sacrificing character building and depth. Typical Hornby: High Fidelity (!) and Fever Pitch were both about men fearing commitment and their careers heading for a downturn. About a Boy features a pensive child with a suicidal mother and no set circle of friends. How to be Good is about a man trying to save what's left of his marriage... Not surprisingly, he probably has the formula to write a comic novel about the plummeting world debt.
Nick Hornby seem to be quite a mellow, level-headed guy when he was reading some excerpts from the novel in focus. Starkly different, I suppose, from his book characters that hinge on the neurotic, quirky... to the clinically deranged. The Q&A part came next - I regret that I am not able to relay the items verbatim, but here were a few that were worthy of mention.
On the Fever Pitch movie adaptation: He seemed content about it, seeing that it did reflect (albeit not completely mirrored) an obsession to a sports team that pervaded the main character's daily existence. Boston Red Sox fans out there can relate. Hornby did mention that the movie was meant to portray the team as one that "never one the World Series." He'd like to believe that he took part in our fate in 2004 having taken a turn, and even joked that maybe he could do another movie to help another team -"The Cubs, perhaps," says Hornby.
Malcom Glazer's (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) acquisition of Manchester United: (No particular comment on this - as he rooted for Liverpool. Roused some reaction from the crowd though - for good reason.)
On the High Fidelity movie adaptation: Acknowledged Stephen Frears, cast and crew... Talked about the similarities with both mediums along with some few stark differences. Commended the movie crew's close attention to detail with the selected cast whose characters were somehow on-par with that of the book's. (I am trying my darnedest to leave my John Cusack bias out the window) Role-building and character depth, the songs, the soundtrack, the inner dialogue... specifics that attributed to the success that the movie had garnered to this day.
On NH's protagonists, usually featuring self-loathing British adolescents: Who isn't self-loathing at that age, whether British, American (or even Asian)? (Hornby yet again makes a good point on that one...) It is that part of life where all the world seems suffocating and one can only take refuge in the songs that filter the pain. Hornby said that even when he was starting out and an American publisher offered him a deal (for High Fidelity), he had to ask twice because, "wouldn't America have had someone creatively write about relationships gone bad and non-existent careers?" Probably, but no one having
It was then he admitted, that the self-loathing just might be a typical characteristic... so-called Britain's gift to the world.
I waited 1.5 hours in line to get my 2 books signed (High Fidelity and A Long Way Down). When it was my turn - I knew I only had a few seconds before I had to move along.... Man, I wanted to ask him what were the top 5 most ridiculous things said to him at the book signing... I wanted to know more about his relationship with his son... I wanted to ask how one can grow the gift of writing as he had been given. So then I asked him a favor: Apart from the front covers pages of my books, I requested him to also sign a page from High Fidelity that I had dog-eared with (I think) one of the most poignant points of the book. He looked at it and smiled:
"... Surely this is wrong? Surely people who are happy should look happy, at all times, no matter how much money they have or how uncomfortable their shoes are or how little their child is sleeping; and people who are doing OK but still not found their soulmate should look... and people who are desparate should wear something, a yellow ribbon maybe, which would allow them to be identified by similarly desparate people. When I am no longer desparate, when I have got all this sorted out, I promise you here and now that I will never ever complain again about... or anything at all. I will beam beatifically at all times, just from sheer relief."
Hornby, Nick. Character: Rob, High Fidelity, p.227
Think again, Sir Hornby. Who do you think, to a good number of literary-appreciating folks here in the US, is Britain's gift to the world?
No comments:
Post a Comment