A Long Way Down review

[alobear]

A Long Way Down has restored my faith in Nick Hornby.  The last book of his I tried was cliched, badly written drivel and I didn't make it past the half-way mark.  A Long Way Down is back to the old Hornby I know and love - very interesting premise, excellent characters, and unpredictable in terms of where it's going.  It tells the story of four disparate people who meet one New Year's Eve when they all choose to leap off the same building.  The plot then revolves around what happens to them after they don't.

I particularly liked the fact that there were no amazing revelations or ridiculous good fortune - the various people think about their lives and find pleasure in small things, which made it much more realistic and more satisfying.

Plus, any book where a character finds (partially) a reason to live by joining a quiz team get high marks from me, as the pub quiz is certainly a highlight of my week!