A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

I think that Nick Hornby is becoming one of my favorite authors.

This was a great read - even though it's subject matter might make one thin otherwise. I don't want to say very much about the books plot, because I don't want to ruin any surprises. I knew almost nothing about the book when I started reading it, and I'm starting to think that that might be the best way to approach most books.

I will say that the book follows a small group of people in present day London. (One of these is an American living in England for the first time and continually encountering all sorts of bizzare culture differences.) And also, I'll say that the subject of suicide is featured prominently in the book.

The chapters are extremely short (averaging only about a half dozen pages maybe) and with each chapter break the narration switches to a different protagonist. [On a side note, this seems to be a technique used in a lot of the books I've read lately.] Because there aren't very many narrating characters, and the chapters are so short, I noticed early on that Hornby tends to make the chapter transitions fairly ironic and quite amusing.

Partily because of suicide subject, and partily because I just finished reading a heavier book, I forgot that Hornby is a funny writer. So when I found myself compelled to laugh at the book I had to take a figurative step back and re-evaluate the manner in which I was reading the book. The book is a comedy (albeit a tragic one) and I didn't even notice. Once I figured this out, though, I couldn't put the book down and kept finding myself laughing my ass off.