July 18, 2007

•  Having read and enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, I decided to check out Haddon’s latest offering.  It is interesting that both his latest books tackle mental illnesses, first autism and now depression.  I’m guessing he probably has had experience with both, whether personally or not.  However, neither book is depressing which is a good thing in some respects as these topics don’t always have to carry with it all gloom and doom.  On the other hand, I can’t say that his portrayal of depression, in particular, was very realistic at all times.  Especially in the ending of A Spot of Bother, Haddon seems downright flippant about the protagonist’s condition which I thought a) made for a less than satisfactory ending b) could be taken to offence.

   

  Haddon has a similar style to David Sedaris.  They both have a humorous take on the screwed up lives of different families.  Haddon’s writing also has a bit of likeness to Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones), probably because both use Brit humor.  But I suppose Bridget Jones is all about messed up relationships as well.  So I think if you like Sedaris/Fielding, you would also enjoy a bit of Haddon.   It's a good quick read. I've had to speed read through it in anticipation of getting Harry Potter soon!

   

  3.5 out of 5     

  • 4:08 pm
  • 1 Comment