High Fidelity was
my introduction to Nick Hornby, and I've been hooked ever since. Besides the
fact that the story and characters are so incredibly Tower-esque it's spooky,
there's something endearing about their flaws and vulnerabilities. That's one
of Hornby's great strengths: creating believable characters whose weaknesses
hold up a mirror to our own, but stop short of making us squirm. Record store
manager Rob from High Fidelity.
Would-be single dad Will from About a Boy. Once brilliant songwriter turned
recluse Tucker, from Juliet, Naked.
Each has his own delightful quirks.
His latest effort, Funny Girl, which takes place in 1960s England, introduces us to Barbara Parker,
a reluctant beauty queen who would rather make people laugh, like her heroine
Lucille Ball. After moving to London and finding an agent, she becomes Sophie
Straw and lands the lead role in a new comedy series that turns her into a
star. With the writers, producer and her co-star, Sophie discovers the joys of
working toward a common goal while becoming a family of sorts along the way (yet
another thing that felt Tower-like to me). Of course nothing lasts forever, no
matter how badly you want it to, and Sophie and her TV family eventually realize
the show has run its course and they must figure out what comes next.
Another wonderful thing about a Hornby novel is going along
for the ride as his characters go about figuring out what comes next. We get to
witness their missteps, well-meaning but misguided attempts to get things right
and share their victories when they do. Funny
Girl is as sweet, charming and funny as the title character herself.
