Anybody that is an ardent Nick Hornby fan will probably be confused at the choice of content of his latest novel, “A Long Way Down.”
This fourth novel deals with four characters – Martin, a publicly disgraced TV show host; Jess, a disillusioned teenager; Maureen, a recently decided “bad Catholic;” and JJ a failed rock musician – who meet on top of a building called Topper’s House on New Year’s Eve to, well, top themselves.
One might wonder what tragic events in the past decade have led Nick Hornby to tackle an issue such as suicide because he is better known for such affable, lovable characters like Rob Fleming, the music/woman lover in “High Fidelity.”
“A Long Way Down” does seem comedic at heart; however dark the subject matter may be. It is difficult to discern the book’s theme because Hornby superficially breezes through situations that should be character-defining.
Maureen has a disabled son who is essentially comatose and unable to communicate with her. Her entire life has revolved around taking care of him. She lives in a state of perpetual loneliness. Recently she has become disillusioned with the Church and it’s ability to save her.
JJ is the only American in the book. He left his band in America (which was on the verge of breaking up) to be with his English girlfriend, who has dumped him. It is not the illusion of rock fame that has prompted JJ to kill himself. Rather it is his inability to create music – the one thing that brings him any sense of hope.
These two characters seem to have the most emotional ties to the world and further inspection of them could have added more depth.
But Hornby is seemingly only able to delve into character exploration singularly, as with Rob Fleming or Will Lightman from “About a Boy.”
After the four meet coincidentally on the rooftop, they regale each other with their stories and decide to come down and reluctantly help each other.
Hornby creates a sort of intimate self-help group and puts the characters through situations like appearing on a TV show to talk about how they saw an angel – a fabricated tale designed to help them financially – to taking a vacation together in the Caribbean, which predictably, ends in disaster.
The entire point of the novel is mistakenly invalidated when the four meet on the same rooftop as a sort of reunion only to find a distraught stranger ready to go over. They optimistically try to coerce him. But his pain is too much and over he goes. Enlightenment would be relevant here, but the four just kind of acknowledge their own cowardice in the face of this intensely more interesting character and resume their lives.
Hornby seems unwilling or unable to properly touch on the subject of death and the entire book feels like a compilation of notes and observations. What saves Hornby is his incomparable wit.
