A Spot of Bother (Vintage)
by Mark Haddon
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Book Reviews of A Spot of Bother (Vintage)
Book Review: A very entertaining book
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed reading "A Spot of Bother" by Mark Haddon, the author of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time". It is the story of a family getting ready for a wedding, but nothing goes as planned of course. George, the father, discovers a lesion on his hip and thinks the worst, starting to slowly lose his mind. His wife Jean is having an affair with an ex-colleague of his. His gay son Jamie is having relationship issues of his own; and his daughter Katie is having second thoughts about getting married... I won't say more as I don't want to spoil the book. Each character is well crafted and contributes to a funny, fast-paced story where something happens in every chapter. Haddon is a master of voices. He did it in "The Curious Incident..." and he's doing it again in this one. Haddon has managed to capture George's voice particularly well as he is sinking into depression and madness. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the main characters, and this is highly entertaining. This is an easy read, but probably not one that will stay with you forever: the messages may be important, but they are not unusual. At times the story feels even a little forced, almost turning into slap-stick comedy. But despite its flaws, I found it a good read, and you may agree with me as long as you don't come to it expecting another tour-de-force like "The Curious Incident...".
Book Review: Haddon is a genuine talent
Summary: 4 Stars
The problem of having written a piece a of genius like "The curious incident..." is that your next book is going to be evaluated against high standards. So it is a remarkable achievement that "A spot of bother" does not only not disappoint, but even lives up to the expectations.
The story tells a family drama centered around the troubled buildup to the marriage of the daughter of the family. While the wedding is cancelled and later un-cancelled, the gay son faces existential questions after a break-up, the mother does not quite know what to think of her extramarital affair, the father discovers a lesion and gets depressed from fear of dying, and so the characters hobble towards the end. No heroism, no great romantic love or deep philosophy, no bad guys: this book should be very boring...
And yet, the great craftsmanship of Haddon is that in it's everydayness, the book has all the drama of people dealing with life's setbacks, triumphs, and the existential doubts that we all feel. The masterful writing certainly helps: Haddon has the ability to make a scene at the same time hilariously funny and very tragic. The dialogues are great and the multi-person perspective works very well, as does the touch of absurdity here and there.
I cannot give it five stars, because after all it is not "The curious incident..." , but I can guarantee you some addictive reading!
Book Review: a spot of laughter
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is about a family with one of each, as a friend of mine would put it--a [...] son, a daughter who can't seem to choose the right husband, a mother who's cheating, and a father who's obsessed with his own mortality. George's anxiety over his wife Jean's affair, or perhaps the fact that she might leave him, has led to his being convinced that a patch of eczema is really cancer. George becomes increasingly irrational, while his daughter Katie has second thoughts about her upcoming marriage and his son Jamie realizes that he has lost the love of his life. George's hilarious actions have just the right amount of poignancy as we witness just how pitiful he has become. Still, everyone in the family is wrestling with his/her relationship issues in an offbeat comical manner. Jean ultimately has to choose between her unbalanced husband and her lively lover, who George unwittingly invites to dinner. Jamie has to try to win Tony back and overcompensates for his past inhibitions with regard to his sexual orientation in the presence of his family. Katie weighs her family's disapproval and her own emotional detachment against the knowledge that Ray, her dull fiancé, is a loving and sane partner, contrasting sharply with her charismatic but shallow ex-husband. Here's a family that has definitely put the fun back in dysfunctional.
Book Review: Ignore the Creepy Cover
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the story of a British family on the brink: a father slowly going crazy because he finds a spot of eczema he is convinced is cancer, a mother who has entered into an affair, a daughter considering a second marriage to man she does not really respect, and a son still struggling with his sexual identity and his parents' acceptance. The members of this family are thrown together time and time again as they sort through their issues and figure out how to deal with one another. Haddon's book is a stroke of brilliance when it comes to character development and while I would not describe this novel as "action packed," it progresses at a lovely, enjoyable pace.
I was completely engrossed and entertained in this story, watching these characters dance around one another in a way that is sometimes sad, but often bordering on unabashed hilarity. The cover of this book is, well creepy, but do not let it put you off because there is a wonderful, satisfying novel just behind it. This is a book about a British family from a British author so be aware that there are some terms and phrases that will likely be unfamiliar to non-British audiences. However, there are not enough instances to make it distracting. Rip off that cover if necessary, but Haddon's novel is a gem.
Book Review: Funny and touching novel
Summary: 3 Stars
I read Mark Haddon's already acclaimed debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a few years ago and found it to be one of the most interesting books I read in years. Plus, it was damn funny, in that English stiff upper lip sort of way.
In his follow-up novel, Haddon takes the same approach as he did with his first, but instead of detailing the inner world of an autistic teenager, he takes on a recent retiree named George Hall who exhibits all the trademarks of men who find that once they have to deal with their wife and family 24/7, that they almost would welcome death as a good friend. Also, George is a man who cannot articulate his problems, because, well, that would not be right.
Still, convinced a bit of eczema on his hip is cancer, George goes into a tailspin, just as family situations become even greater than one can think of. This laugh-out loud slice of domestic life is wonderfully realized by Haddon, and it zips along from one major family problem to George's increasing morbid fascination with death. There is some deft comic touches here, and while there are no big surprises here, and you know how it will end, Haaddon's ability to create real characters with real problems is a talent little seen in today's fiction.