In the UK, British novelist Nick Hornby is the long-reigning "King of lad lit". In their own way each of his novels uses an accessible pop-culture framework to examine domestic situations and everyday events. His previous books have guided thirty-something males through some important themes; love, friendship, parenting and social responsibility. In Britain he enjoys the level of fame usually reserved for footballers, footballer's wives and Coldplay.
Hornby's novels About a Boy, High Fidelity and Fever Pitch are also well known in Australia, particularly after they translated to box office success with the performances of Hugh Grant, John Cusack and Colin Firth in the "everyman" roles.
In his latest offering, A Long Way Down, we are introduced to the biggest theme of all " death and humankind's need to control our mortality.
A Long Way Down features four main characters; shamed television identity Martin Sharp, rebellious antagonist Jess Chriton, heartbroken American musician JJ, and hapless Maureen, housewife and mother of a severely disabled son.
They meet on the roof of Topper's House; a run down apartment block which has made its name from the high rate of suicides it attracts. It is late on New Year's Eve, and while, across London, others are making resolutions for new beginnings, the shared resolution of our group of misfits is to end it all. It isn't long before the group dynamic thwarts individual intentions, and the group descends the stairs on a faint mission to find Jess' ex-boyfriend. At this point it becomes clear that each character is looking for a reason to live, and we follow as they search for meaning and purpose in their daily lives and relationships. We watch them briefly exploit their situation before doing the decent thing and looking after each other instead of worrying about themselves.
Hornby has chosen to present his story from the perspective of his four protagonists. Each style is distinctive, and the thought patterns and decisions of his characters remain consistent throughout. It is impressive that he is able to write from the perspective of a fifty year old woman caring for a chronically disabled son. There are moments when her concurrent emotions of frustration and guilt are palpable. Hornby's own experiences of caring for an autistic son have given him a perspective on the life of a carer, and her character is well developed as a result. The only other character of note is Jess, if only for an ability to offend and disgrace all who come close to her, on every page she appears.
The author readily admits to preferring a conversational tone, which he feels engages the reader more readily than a third-person narrative. The problem with his tone in this context is the lack of despairing, irrational thoughts and insight that you would expect from people wanting to commit suicide. At times, it appears Hornby is using humour in an attempt to lighten a dark subject matter, or perhaps he feels there is humour in all aspects of life, including the attempt to end it. Unfortunately, the end result is a dissipation of an emotional connection to the story, to the extent that a climactic event half-way through the novel fails to pack a punch.
Nick Hornby, as a self-confessed atheist, delivers an interesting perspective on God through guilt-ridden Catholic Maureen. She is the only character to address the prospect of God and an afterlife. Towards the end of the novel Maureen quotes Psalm 50;
"Call upon me in the day of trouble,
I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me."
She goes on to say:
"I went to Topper's House because I called and called and called and there was no delivery, and my days of trouble seemed to have lasted too long."
Maureen's circumstance is particularly devastating " more so when you consider she is given little support by her church. The truth is that God does not abandon those who call him Lord. He has promised that nothing, including the extremes of human suffering, can separate us from his love. It is sad that the human response to God is generally self-centred, not Christ-centred. We want him to be involved in helping us, improving our lives, and when times get tough, commonly we question his existence, or decide we have been abandoned.
Mercifully for Christians, we don't need to search for meaning and purpose in the world around us. A truly purposeful life is one lived in faith; that accepts the challenges and hardships that come as part of life in a fallen world, and relies on God for strength, patience and endurance, and in return receives hope, peace and contentment.
