Just Like You by Nick Hornby

 

Book club book #13

Nick Hornby won my heart with High Fidelity. Yes, I watched the movie first, and my love for John Cusack is decades old, but the book held up. From there, I've read others, so was excited to see a new book publish.

It's also nice that Hornby keeps things current. This book begins only a few years behind where we are today. Ending just before the pandemic, it's still nice to read a story within the obvious context of now. His decision to weave in conversations on Brexit and talk about Trump make it apparent that what the characters are dealing with here are still happening today.

And, Joseph and Lucy, the two main characters, are dealing with a lot. Most of what's happening stems from their relationship. They're having trouble overcoming their own personal issues. From race to age, and all that falls in between, they've got a lot to process. But, they like each other, and their connection is genuine. It may work out.

Of course, that involves overcoming the fact that Lucy is a nearly-divorced, mom of two, in her forties. She's a teacher, and she's smart. Joseph is 22. He works a few jobs to keep the money coming in while he tries to build a career as a DJ. He still lives at home with his mom. Lucy and Joseph meet at the butcher shop where Joseph works and Lucy shops. They make a connection when Joseph starts babysitting for Lucy's boys.

On top of all this, Lucy is white. Joseph is black. And, they may be on different sides of the Brexit vote. There's so much to process between the two of them, but it's even harder when they realize friends are going to have interact with them as a couple. Will Joseph always be the token person of color, or the kid? Will Lucy stand out like a sore thumb at the clubs?

It's all so much, complicated by the sometimes muddled language that occurs when someone who speaks American English (me) reads someone writing in British English. The struggle to figuring out the intricacies of this complex relationship, though, felt very real. It moved slowly, which is what you'd expect. 

I didn't feel like the characters were given equal treatment, so expect to be in Joseph's head much more than Lucy's. Also, expect Joseph, maybe because of his age, to grow more as a person. 

Overall, I liked this book and feel like Hornby has stayed true to his style and directness of character. I love the flaws he gives his characters and the complications he creates from seemingly simple origins. This is a good one. Read on friends!

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

I picked up this book as quickly as I could because of Station Eleven. I loved that book. This one was a good read, but not as clearly formed in my opinion as the author's previous. The flow in The Glass Hotel is a bit awkward. I liked that, but I feel it could make the book hard to read.

The narrative moves forward in time, but you're never really sure who the main character is. Flashbacks are minor, and fill in some gaps, but again, you're not always sure where to focus. My bet is that the main character is Vincent, a young woman who touches every other life in the story. Whether she's a sister, girlfriend, or bartender, she's there for at least a moment. It's hard though to say definitively sine the characters are like ping pong balls in a lottery machine. They're bouncing all over the place, but they bump into each other before the machine burps out the winning numbers. Vincent is the ball that bumps into all the others. She's an interesting woman, who seems to accept her position as it comes until finally becoming so disillusioned that she moves her life off land completely. 

The other thing in the book that touches all the characters is risk. It could also be the main character in all honesty. The risk manifests primarily in the form of an investment opportunity. You have to decide whether to take the risk or not, to benefit it or not. Even those standing close to those confronted with the risk are impacted. It has a heavy influence, and is a key driver of the trajectories for the characters in the book. Tied into this component is a commentary on human connections, and how much time we waste making the wrong ones. It's only after the risk is eliminated that many characters seem to find out who their friends really are, who they should love.

There are other complicated elements in this book. A quick touch on drugs, on ethics, on life lived on a secluded Canadian island. Like I said, its form feels loose because it's so packed. I would definitely recommend giving this author a try, but start with Station Eleven. This book is more experimental to me in its flow. I enjoyed the art of it, and the complexities, but it might not be for everyone.