Saturday, May 17, 2008

A Spot of Bother


"The thought occurred to him that he could become an alcoholic. At this precise moment it seemed a not unreasonable solution to his problems."
- A Spot of Bother, Mark Haddon, p. 120


I've found that the more I read the pickier I am about what books I like or even finish. for me a good book has two essential elements: a good dose of humor and a character that I really like or can relate to in some way. "A Spot of Bother" fits my specifications to a T. The book centers around an older couple (fifties or sixties maybe) whose daughter Katie is getting married to the wrong man--again. The Jean just wants to plan her daughter's wedding perfectly regardless, Katie and her fiance Ray are going through a rough patch and contemplate cancelling the wedding, Katie's brother Jamie refuses to attend because he feels that his on again off again boyfriend is not welcome as his date, and George, Katie's father, is slowly losing his mind. The story switches viewpoints and takes a turn with each character--a tactic that I usually hate, but really loved in this book. Every person in this story is absorbed in their own little personal catastrophe while George is steadily sinking into hypochondria. He notices a spot on his hip and is sure that cancer is taking over his body, one cell at a time. The doctor tells him that he has eczema. He knows otherwise and starts dosing himself with vicodin and red wine to take the edge off his panic.

I loved this book because it examines a group of people who all want something, and whose goals interact and conflict with those around them: Katie wants to know if she's marrying Ray for security or love, Ray wants Katie to love him, Jamie wants his parents to accept him and to know how he truly feels about his boyfriend, George wants to escape, and Jean just wishes that George would put off his breakdown until after the wedding. It is in equal parts hysterical, disturbing, and sad, the perfect book in so many ways.

No comments: