Book #12: Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls
Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A book that had been on my to-read list for some time, and I think this may be my favourite of David Nicholls' books first.
So, at the start, its main character, Charlie - who also narrates the book - has left school at 16; he doesn't have a lot of prospects, and he seems like a useless slacker. The story is all about a romance between Charlie and a girl called Fran, who he meets in the park.
It turns out that Fran is part of a troupe of actors rehearsing for a production of Romeo and Juliet, and despite his dislike of Shakespeare, Charlie joins the group so he can get close to Fran. So, it feels like a typical boy-meets-girl story, only there is more to it.
As well as the romcom-style plot that is hilarious at times, there are more serious elements. There is a subplot that has Charlie working at a petrol station, and stealing lottery scratchcards to make extra money, all because his divorced father is unemployed, and not bringing any money into the household.
The fact that Charlie's father is not only an even bigger slacker than Charlie himself, but also seems to be addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs means this is possibly the most grown up of Nicholls' books so far.
As usual, the book ducks any cliched endings, and goes for something a bit out of left field. Because the narrative jumps back and forth in time, with flashbacks and even flash-forwards, Nicholls hints at how the characters end up quite early on in the book. This didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, as I enjoyed reading about the two central characters, and hope that David Nicholls produces another book soon.
View all my reviews