High Fidelity [Paperback]

Nick Hornby gives music and romance a philosophical spin in "High Fidelity," the funny, rueful book about men, music, and modern love. While occasionally his lead character's "top five" lists can be a little annoying, this is a charmingly original, wry and thoughtful novel - an offbeat romance for our time.

Rob owns a little music shop in London, which is a good thing because he is musically obsessed -- pop music, he claims, makes him fall in love. But even pop music can't heal his heart when his longtime girlfriend Laura breaks up and moves out. What's worse, Rob has no idea WHY she broke up with him, and he feels mixed feelings about losing her (he cares about her) and her musical tastes (bad).

He immerses himself in his rickety business with his weirdo employees -- these guys alone are worth checking out the book for. He dates a folk singer. He learns that Laura is now involved with the repulsive guy upstairs. And finally, he assesses his past sex life and romances (the top five, specifically), getting a bit of insight into what Laura's problem with him might be: He's stuck in his mid-teens.

Thirty-five is kind of old to start growing up. But like many real people, Rob learns that it's change or die -- in his case, alone and surrounded by records. "High Fidelity" is a nice blend of musical/movie memoir, love story and belated-coming-of-age tale. It's kind of geeky and pokes fun at itself, but therein lies its charm.

Hornby writes a nice, breezy kind of prose, peppered with plenty of pop culture and musical references. Not to mention the top five lists: Top Five Episodes of Cheers. Best Side One Track Ones Of All Time. Top Five Bands or Musicians Who Will Have To Be Shot Come the Musical Revolution. At times the pop culture name-dropping gets a bit tiresome, but it mostly underlines how quirky and mildly obsessive Rob can be.

And oh, he can be quirky. He can also be a self-centered jerk, and a bit confused and clueless to boot. Hornby's alter ego is likable for his flaws, and somehow manages to shed a little light on how men think. Good backup comes in his clerks Barry and Dick, who are just as geekily eccentric about music and lists as Rob is.

Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" is an excellent slice of Brit-lit -- it's quirky, wry, insightful, and a bit obsessed with good music. Definitely a must-read.

After THE LOSERS' CLUB: Complete Restored Edition, this is my favorite "guy" novel. It's an accurate portrayal of a guy's interior life, maybe the best depiction of male psychology and their uneasy relationship with opposite sex I've ever read. Plus, it's really funny!

The protagonist is just breaking up with his girlfriend; she's leaving him and this makes him recall all his past relationships, his past "failures" in trying to access the damage Laura, his new "ex," has done -- and how she stacks up compared to other gals who have broken his heart. This is first of the lists, Rob shares with us; the top 5 five list is a theme carried throughout the entire novel.

The protagonist is a used record shop owner, a modest business that is failing; Rob knows he should move on, but to what? His ex meanwhile is a lawyer, earning a great living. And that of course only underscores his feeling of "being left behind," or being some kind of protracted adolescent.

I love this book because I really related to the main character; we live in a materialistic age where at a certain point you start to feel foolish if you haven't established a "career." Rob's a passionate guy, passionate about music -- not a dullard, and yet he remains the way he always was, without much career ambition, content to indulge his passions. To me, he seems decent, pretty cool -- the type of guy you'd like to have as a pal. To women, no doubt, he's just a "loser."

There's a huge market of books for women, books that depict women's relationships and their needs, etc. -- this is one book that gives the male point of view.

It shows how frail men are, I think. Early on, Rob talks about "Charlie" an arty girl who he was insanely in love with and who dumped (and essentially crippled) him. I know guys like this, who after being dumped 10 years earlier still find themselves unable to deal with it. Because men are less able to access and deal with their feelings, certain feelings remain frozen inside them for years, paralysis of this kind is common. Women are just more emotionally resilient, I think.

In many ways, HIGH FIDELITY is a "guy" romantic comedy, a book about relationships after the age of 30, a book about societal expectations for men, a book about "recovery" from damaging relationships. Along the way it gives great insight into how guys think, male paranoia ("Is he better than me? [i.e. Bigger?]"), male insecurity and fear and sadness. Also the tendency of men to be a little narrow-minded (overly focused [ie, the top 5 lists]) at times, even misanthropic. At his age, Rob doesn't have many male friends, except for the two guys who help out at his record shop; other past friends, no doubt, have moved on, gotten married, formed families -- we (or at least I) can relate to the feeling of being "left behind." I think we all feel a little like Rob.

At first the book seems a little bitter, because the Rob is terribly wounded -- that's the tone of book: he's hurting. But as the novel continues, the book lightens up a bit and remains a truly enjoying reading experience. And I've read it more than once! Anyway, check out this book! And also read "THE LOSER'S CLUB: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez -- another great "guy" book that in many ways is related to HIGH FIDELITY. Just excellent!

It makes you hurt, it almost makes you want to cry
even though you're a guy and you're not allowed to cry. It makes you
realize all the stupid mistakes you've made in the past, and you'll
probably make again in the future. It's insightful and inspiring.
plus, it makes you want to own a record shop and sleep/date a rock
starette.