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A Long Way Down

A novel by Nick Hornby

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'A Long Way Down'; Postmodern Story of Suicide and Depression

Jul 30, 2010

by tawnyburgess
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

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I just finished the lovely novel, A Long Way Down. I must say this has been one of the best modern novels I have read in a long time. This book gives me faith that literature is not a dead art. The author, Nick Hornby, is known for his other books that have been made into movies: High Fidelity, About a Boy and Fever Pitch .

A short synopsis of the story: Four strangers meet on top of a tall building in London, England, while they were trying to commit suicide. It's about the relationship that these four people create; how they cope with their lives. It's an amazing tale that I would recommend to anyone.

Hornby plays on the postmodern ideology that has become so fervent in our culture: suicide, angst, depression and promiscuity.

Using first-person narrative of the four main characters: Martin, Maureen, Jesse and JJ, he tells the story of four people meeting on New Year’s Eve ready to commit suicide.

With each person explaining how they got to that fateful moment, the story is filled with deep narration that takes these postmodern thoughts and brings them home to the reader. Hornby is able to the capture the feelings of insecurity that brought these characters to the point of choosing death over life, and later is able to explain how this book is not just about these four characters, but rather a universal choice: "When you get yourself in that place, the place I was in on New Year's Eve, you think people who aren’t up on the roof are a million miles away, all the way across the ocean, but they’re not. There is no ocean. Pretty much all of them are on dry land, in touching distance. I’m not trying to say that's how close happiness is, if we could only see, or some bulls*&% like that. I’m not telling you suicidal people aren’t so far away from people who can get by; I’m telling you that people who get by aren’t so far away from being suicidal.”

While this book had language fit for adults, I would recommend this book. To me, Hornby is a skilled writer and is able to capture moments in life that are universal and heartbreaking.

After reading this book, I wanted to write the publishing company and ask if they could make this into a movie. When I went to Nick Hornby's site, I found that they are already in talk of making a movie. The site stated that Johnny Depp, Graham King and David Heyman (producer of the Harry Potter films) are to produce Nick Hornby's latest novel “A Long Way Down” for Warner Bros. in 2012. “This book is brimming with some of the finest writing, and some of the most outstanding characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading,” Depp said in a statement. “The cinematic possibilities are extraordinary. I am thrilled to be involved with such a masterful work.”

'A Long Way Down'; Postmodern Story of Suicide and Depression

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devora July 30, 2010

Wow, this sounds morbid, yet fascinating at the same time. Thanks for sharing!

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Quick Tip by sunshineliz. June 17, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by sunshineliz

Nick Hornby's books lend themselves to the big screen. When I read his books, I imagine a British accent in my head.

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Quick Tip by ColoradoWriter. June 15, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by ColoradoWriter

I only discovered Nick Hornby this year so I have a lot of catching up to do. I love writers who can make me laugh and Hornby's writing is so much fun. This book is about four people who planned to commit suicide by jumping off a building at the same time and place, only things don't exactly go as planned. Give Hornby a try. You won't be disappointed.

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