In high school I was a huge Nick Hornby fan, but when I tried to read his book Slam
I could not get into it no matter how hard I tried. I was a little put off after that experience and avoided Hornby for awhile. I mean, he was my favorite writer and he totally let me down. It felt like a nasty break-up where I hid around the corner so he wouldn't see me. In the last year I've slowly worked back into loving Hornby by reading his Believer column collections and short stories. Towards the end of this semester I was looking for a funny, reliable, relaxing book and a good story. I finally picked up Juliet, Naked
.
This is true Hornby in my opinion. It's all the things that made me fall in love with his books in the first place. The self-indulgent characters, pop culture references, and perfectly comical depiction of real life. In this story Annie and Duncan have reached the end of their relationship together. They take a vacation from their North England town to America, although it's really more of a pilgrimage than a vacation. Duncan is an obsessive fan of the rock star Tucker Crowe, an elusive musician who disappeared after touring for his album Juliet. Duncan and other obsessed fans talk constantly on the Internet about Tucker Crowe and their theories of his disappearance.
When a new version of Tucker Crowe's album shows up on Duncan and Annie's doorstep all hell breaks loose. Annie is forced to really acknowledge the nowhere place she has ended up with by being with Duncan and attempts to figure out how to get her life back.
I wouldn't say the novel is genius or anything, but it's great. Hornby is wonderful at writing characters no one really likes but still want to read about. I think it's because we can all see our own flaws in these characters and that makes them more likable. This is a great book for a vacation or a rainy afternoon. You'll get some laughs and have a good time with the story. It's a very comfy book.
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