thirty short stories as well. One of Somers's five worst mothers in literary history, as shared at B & N Reads:Fiona Brewer (About a Boy, by Nick Hornby)Read about another entry on the list.
Sometimes a humorous novel can distract us from the horrible people populating it, as with Nick Hornby’s touching, funny, and somewhat disturbing story of an awkward, unhappy boy and a slick, unhappy man. Fiona Brewer initially seems a bit strange in an amusing way, and fiercely protective of her son—but then you realize she attempted suicide in a way that pretty much guaranteed her son would walk in on her cold, dead body, and that most of his social anxiety and awkwardness is due to her own cynical view of the world. In the end, Fiona does not completely belong in the Hall of Fame for bad mothers, for she rallies over the course of the book to demonstrate true love for her son, which leaves her a long way from the sullen, unhappy, and resolutely selfish woman we meet in the beginning.
About a Boy is among The Telegraph's top eight books every dad should read, Jamie Fewery's ten best fictional fathers, and Kay S. Hymowitz's five best books on the won't-grow-up modern male.
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
