‘If this book was a record, we would be calling it an instant classic. Because that’s what it is.’ Guardian
Nick Hornby’s debut novel High Fidelity is a wonderfully wry deconstruction of male emotional constipation and trivial obsession. It is a tale of a record shop owner and his tangled love life of break-ups, make-ups and what it is to be in love.
Do you know your desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable break-ups? Rob does. He keeps a list, in fact. But Laura isn’t on it – even though she’s just become his latest ex. He’s got his life back, he can just do what he wants when he wants: like listen to whatever music he likes, look up the girls that are on his list, and generally behave as if Laura never mattered. Finding he can’t move on from Laura, record store owner Rob decides to revisit his relationship top hits to work out what went wrong.
But soon, he’s asking himself some big questions: about relationships, life and his own self-destructive tendencies, and about why we choose to share our lives with the people we do. As Rob tries to unpick why we choose to share our lives with the people that we do. Enjoy the brilliantly curated music soundtrack throughout, and be comforted by the fact that there is always someone out there worse at relationships than you.
Astutely observed and wickedly funny, Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity is a cult classic which which provokes gales of knowing laughter and expertly explores love, loss and the need for a good playlist.
‘A triumphant first novel. True to life, very funny and moving.’ Financial Times
‘Leaves you believing not only in the redemptive power of music but above all the redemptive power of love. Funny and wise, sweet and true.’ Independent
