Book Review: A Long Way Down

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don't want to add every book review I do on Goodreads up here, but seeing as I did the other Nick Hornby review up here, I felt I should put this one here too. Also, it's an update, when otherwise I have nothing to share.

I loved this book. I'll be rereading it some time in the future.

This book is written in the first person view of 4 individuals. Each time the narration changes, the writing is imbued with the personality of the one telling the story, which is of course how it should be, but it's wonderfully done.



I don't think this book is for everyone, but personally I found it a great occupation of time. There were occasions where, embarrassingly and stupidly, I felt like beating my chest and just going all apeshit with a "yes! yes! exactly!" It spoke to me, through every character, whether it was in the way they observed the world, or the way they reflected on their life, or... whatever. It's not as if every utterance is genius and it wasn't until the 2nd half where I started bonding with the book, but when a book hits you in a spot you don't share with people it's remarkably powerful.

The book deals with four people struggling with depression, shitty lives, and suicide (all revealed on the jacket, and right in the beginning of the story), but is NOT sentimental or soppy. It's funny and full of wonderful observations and insight. Unlike How To Be Good, which, to be honest, earned an extra half star to round up to 4 for having a good female central character (rather than round down to 3, which probably would have happened otherwise), I actually found this book deserving of the rank I give it. Not for what it means for literature, or as a social message, or anything like that as I don't think this book is anything so big as all that, but merely how it made me feel. I'm going to go bittersweet and melancholy here and quote Luna Lovegood. "It was almost like having friends."