A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

Four people meet on the roof of Toppers' House on New Year's Eve in London, England, with the intention of throwing themselves off. Each is surprised to find other suicidal people there too. What happens next are the adventures and truths learned of four people who choose life, by banding together and taking the long way down the stairs.

Jess, eighteen, is always at odds with her parents. Although from a prominent family, she is foul-mouthed, rebellious, and spontaneous. She stirs up trouble at every chance, often seeming quite deranged and disrespectful. Her sister Jen ran away years ago, without any explanation or trace of where she is now. Jess also just ended a short relationship with Chas and is troubled that he gave her no reason for no longer being with her.

Martin was a famous morning talk show host. He describes himself as the Regis of England. He lost his family, children, career, and self-respect, however, when he slept with a fifteen year old, landing him in prison. He is intelligent and keen, but he drinks a lot and ruins all the chances he gets at regaining a normal life.

JJ is American, in his early twenties, and reads a lot. He is in London because of his ex-girlfriend, who doesn't want to be with him anymore. His band had modest success for a while, but has also broken up. He misses both, and his dream of being a rock star and being with Lizzie are forever lost. He doesn't know who he is anymore, and cannot imagine much of a future besides flipping burgers.

Maureen, fifty-one, is a single mom whose son, Matty, is disabled. He is a vegetable, confined to a wheelchair. She spends all her time at home, caring for him: no friends, no social life, nothing beyond Matty, who cannot talk, move, or communicate. His father left years ago, and every day is drudgingly the same for Maureen, who is conflicted by her Catholic faith.

This is a unique plot that interested me from the beginning. I read this book in less than a week, so riveting and fast-paced was the story. I couldn't wait to finish it and see what happens to these characters.

Hornby's style is fresh and engaging. Although the subject's core, suicide, is grim, there is much humor in the novel. For example, Jess cannot understand the expression "have your cake and eat it too." She wonders how can you eat a cake that you don't have, then later asks what is the point of the cake if you're not going to eat it. Or, when Maureen arrives on the roof, she discovers Martin sitting on the edge, with a stepladder he used to get over the wire that is set up around the roof. She kindly asks him if she could use it when he's finished, a polite question considering why Martin is dangling his feet off a roof.

In addition, there aren't any epiphanies or redemptive moments. This is not a book about people who discover how wonderful life is and how foolish they were to think it's worth dying for. They don't learn there are plenty of things to live for; they don't discover some great happiness. It's not that kind of story. And I applaud Hornby for not writing such a story. For much of it, the characters remain suicidal even after coming down from the roof. They continually argue with each other, fight, disagree, and even don't really like each other very much. But they have something in common, and they learn they need each other. Changes do occur. Realizations are made. But these things are more subtle and gradual. Their lives and problems are still there, until the end, but things are nonetheless different.

The story is absolutely entertaining. It is fun to be part of the ride along with the characters, such as when Jess decides they should use their noteriety to make some money. The newspapers got wind of their being at Toppers' House, which was a story because Martin was one of them. They do some interviews, claiming that an angel looking like Matt Damon had persuaded them to come down. Hornby is indeed known for putting pop culture in his writing, which there's plenty of here. Things like Seinfeld, Revolutionary Road, Burger King, Kylie Minogue, Mary Tyler Moore, Pop Idol, and R.E.M., to name a few, add to the fun.

The story is also told from the points of view of all four people, with Hornby jumping from character to character throughout the book. It is masterful that he can tell the same story with four distinct voices, each with different personalities and ways of thinking. Even though the story moves swiftly among the characters, the book never loses focus and each character is depicted with detail.

A quick, fun, intriguing read, this story about suicide has a lot of depth. I recommend everyone read A Long Way Down.