A trip to Nottingham before I went abroad in search of some much needed sun and heat and churros and ice cold coke (mmmmmm) ended up with me purchasing 'A Long Way Down' by Nick Hornby from the Oxfam Book & Music shop, because I can't go to Nottingham and definitely not the Oxfam there without buying a book. Slightly off topic but if you are a keen reader and you get through books rather like Usain Bolt sprints like a lightning bolt through his races, and as much as you'd love to buy books from major book stores you find the prices rather hard on your purse/ wallet, I would highly recommend heading to your local Oxfam in particular in search of books.
I can't stress to you how many times I've been into an Oxfam and come away with some really great reads for just £1.99 to £2.49, which would cost me at least £6.99 from major book stores, and the best bit is that whilst you get yourself a good read or two (or three) your money is helping people who really need it, and isn't that just the most wonderful thing ever? I used to volunteer at Oxfam in Derby and I know for fact that in the stock room they have mountains of books, many of them best sellers or written by popular authors, and from so many different genres as well. There's just so much to choose from and it means that you can read more books and 'expand your literary horizons' for so much less and who doesn't love that?
But back to the whole point of this post, Nick Hornby's 'A Long Way Down' is just one product of an Oxfam venture (if you love Nick Hornby you can normally find a good range of his fabulous novels at an Oxfam btw, little heads up for ya there), and boy am I glad that I bought this little gem of a book. I'd only heard of it because during some trip to the cinema a while ago I watched a trailer for the film version and I thought that the whole concept sounded rather interesting and unique, so I made a mental note and when I happened to stumble across said novel at Oxfam I knew that I had to buy it. Now I know that 'A Long Way Down' came out almost ten years ago, so this review is like not only missing the bandwagon when it came into town but only realising that you missed it TEN YEARS AFTER IT CAME BY. But in my defence I was only nine when this novel came out, and I definitely wasn't the target audience, as you'll now appreciate given the next paragraph.
So as you may or may not know, 'A Long Way Down' centres around four people who meet on New Years Eve at the top of 'Toppers House', a well known London suicide spot, where they've each gone with the intent of ending their lives before the year is out. We begin by meeting Martin Sharp, a former television presenter whose life, career, family and all, is in tatters after some rather ill informed decisions on his part. As he prepares himself to take the plunge, he is interrupted by Maureen, a religious 51 year old single parent of a highly disabled son who is in a vegetative state, and who is desperate to end it all yet suffers from overwhelming guilt at the thought of leaving behind her son and doing wrong by God.
It isn't long before they're interrupted by 18 year old larger than life personality Jess, who is heartbroken after being dumped by her boyfriend, living in a family that is still struggling to cope with the sudden disappearance of eldest daughter Jen, and constantly getting herself into sticky situations. And finally the trio becomes a quartet when American JJ ventures to the top of Toppers House in the hopes of ending everything after breaking up with his girlfriend and the break up of his beloved band, both of which leave him feeling like both he and his life have no purpose. The story then evolves along with the 'Toppers Four', as they call themselves, and we join them in the journey that ensues thereafter, from appearing in national newspapers to Martin's TV programme, jetting abroad to Tenerife and trying to both overcome and fix the issues weighing them down and figure out where these obstacles and problems lie in the first place.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up the novel, having unsuccessfully attempted to read Hornby before, however I can hand on heart say that this novel is one of the best books I've ever read and I've completely fallen in love with Hornby. The narrative is split between Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ who each take it in turn to describe events and fill us in on both their own backgrounds and each others, helping us to build up an accurate idea of who these people are, why they ended up on Toppers House and why they behave and act as they do. I thought it was a different and really effective way, on Hornby's part, of showing just how close these people, forever tied together by how they met, and how not only their stories and lives, but they as people are interlinked. When reading you get a real sense of the solidarity that is shared between these four people and the strength of their friendship, and it's rather a joy to be welcomed into the centre of it all.
The story is sad at times, and obviously the subject matter itself is very serious and perhaps controversial as in 'A Long Way Down' Hornby is introducing us to people who have come very close to ending their lives and inviting us into their minds whilst they remain in their most troubled state. However what I love most about this book is that despite that, we get a very realistic and very funny story that allows the topic of depression to become less of a taboo or something to be feared and tucked away. It's discussed openly and truthfully, and it's endearing to see both how many people are actually in the same boat, battling their own demons alone, as it makes you realise that everyone has problems they're trying to overcome, and how sharing your problems with other people means you no longer have to hide or be afraid, because people will understand and try and support you and make you feel better in their own little way.
I loved watching how the characters laid all their cards on the table and opened themselves up to each other, and how they then tried to support and help each other in that way that only humans can, where you're staring a massive problem in the face and realise there isn't a whole lot you can do, so you just do what little you can. You laugh, you fight and argue, you come up with far fetched, crazy, wonderfully silly ideas in the hope that something, anything, just might work, and you pick each other up should those plans fail, and carry on together, fuelled by the hope that you'll get there in the end.
This book is just simply wonderful.
It's lead by honest characters that feel so real you almost can't imagine them not existing somewhere in the world. They're funny, they're incredibly likeable, flaws and all, and the story itself is so utterly bonkers and beautiful and endearing, what with the way it's told and how it approaches a difficult subject matter and turns it into something that can be dealed with and overcome, albeit in an undeniably British manner. It's a delightful read, and whilst Hornby serves you laughs and craziness and a wonderfully amusing story, he also helps you to make sense of life, appreciate it in all its imperfections and leaves you feeling like you can face just about anything.
