Otherwise Pandemonium by Nick Hornby
Aug. 7th, 2011 10:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Nick Hornby’s books have found millions of readers around the globe since publication of Fever Pitch in 1992. Accessible, relevant and deeply passionate, his work embodies the ‘good books for all’ spirit of the original Penguins and in doing so gives a literary voice to the needs, concerns and preoccupations of everyday life. Otherwise Pandemonium features two Hornby stories, one of which was written specifically for this volume.
OTHERWISE PANDEMONIUM is a ‘taster’ book of two short stories by Nick Hornby – OTHERWISE PANDEMONIUM and NOT A STAR, which were put out by The Times, Penguin Books and Starbucks as part of a 2007 promotion.
OTHERWISE PANDEMONIUM is beautifully constructed story about a teenage boy who lives with his mother in Berkeley, California. He doesn’t have many friends and plays trumpet in a local band, where he meets Martha who’s “hot in a not slutty way”. Because band rehearsals coincide with basketball games, he decides to buy a VCR to tape them. However the VCR he buys has an extraordinary ability to record not only programmes that have been on, but also programmes that will be on. As the narrator skips through future programming though, he discovers that something terrible is going on – something cataclysmic – and he has to decide what he wants to do about it.
It’s a brilliant idea and it’s told in a pitch-perfect first person voice that feels like a believable teenage American boy. I particularly like the snippets of information about his family background and his feelings about what he knows and what he’s going to do about it. It’s a great idea, brilliantly executed and I thoroughly enjoyed every page.
NOT A STAR is a more light-hearted story, told by a woman who discovers that her son is working as an actor in the porn industry and he’s been hiding a large [ahem] asset. Although it’s a humorous story, it’s also surprisingly tender – especially as the narrator struggles to come to terms with her son’s choices, the impact of which brings to light certain things about her past and her relationship with her husband. It’s another well-story, it’s got a lot of humanity to it and it was specially written for this volume so it will appeal to Nick Hornby completists.
In conclusion this is a pleasant dulogy of short stories that are warm, witty and true and will appeal to Nick Hornby fans – particularly those looking to have a complete collection of his work.
The Verdict:
Nick Hornby completists will want to pick up this dulogy of short stories, which are warm, witty, original and very human.
Nick Hornby’s books have found millions of readers around the globe since publication of Fever Pitch in 1992. Accessible, relevant and deeply passionate, his work embodies the ‘good books for all’ spirit of the original Penguins and in doing so gives a literary voice to the needs, concerns and preoccupations of everyday life. Otherwise Pandemonium features two Hornby stories, one of which was written specifically for this volume.
OTHERWISE PANDEMONIUM is a ‘taster’ book of two short stories by Nick Hornby – OTHERWISE PANDEMONIUM and NOT A STAR, which were put out by The Times, Penguin Books and Starbucks as part of a 2007 promotion.
OTHERWISE PANDEMONIUM is beautifully constructed story about a teenage boy who lives with his mother in Berkeley, California. He doesn’t have many friends and plays trumpet in a local band, where he meets Martha who’s “hot in a not slutty way”. Because band rehearsals coincide with basketball games, he decides to buy a VCR to tape them. However the VCR he buys has an extraordinary ability to record not only programmes that have been on, but also programmes that will be on. As the narrator skips through future programming though, he discovers that something terrible is going on – something cataclysmic – and he has to decide what he wants to do about it.
It’s a brilliant idea and it’s told in a pitch-perfect first person voice that feels like a believable teenage American boy. I particularly like the snippets of information about his family background and his feelings about what he knows and what he’s going to do about it. It’s a great idea, brilliantly executed and I thoroughly enjoyed every page.
NOT A STAR is a more light-hearted story, told by a woman who discovers that her son is working as an actor in the porn industry and he’s been hiding a large [ahem] asset. Although it’s a humorous story, it’s also surprisingly tender – especially as the narrator struggles to come to terms with her son’s choices, the impact of which brings to light certain things about her past and her relationship with her husband. It’s another well-story, it’s got a lot of humanity to it and it was specially written for this volume so it will appeal to Nick Hornby completists.
In conclusion this is a pleasant dulogy of short stories that are warm, witty and true and will appeal to Nick Hornby fans – particularly those looking to have a complete collection of his work.
The Verdict:
Nick Hornby completists will want to pick up this dulogy of short stories, which are warm, witty, original and very human.
