A Washington Post Best Book of the YearA Spot of Bother is Mark Haddon’s unforgettable follow-up to the internationally beloved bestseller The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. At sixty-one, George Hall is settling down to a comfortable retirement. When his tempestuous daughter, Katie, announces that she is getting married to the deeply inappropriate Ray, the Hall family is thrown into a tizzy. Unnoticed in the uproar, George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip, and quietly begins to lose his mind.As parents and children fall apart and come together, Haddon paints a disturbing yet amusing portrait of a dignified man trying to go insane politely.
A Spot of Bother (Vintage)
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
If the reader were to give a voice to Haddon's protagonist, it would sound just like Keating's. George is an introverted, mild-mannered 61-year-old newly retired Brit who wants to ignore the emotional undertow of his conventional, middle-class family. Without trying to act out the characters, Keating clearly delineates each: George's wife (who is having an affair), his daughter (who is about to embark on another disastrous marriage), her fiancé (whose cockney accent highlights class antagonisms) and his son (who fears bringing his male lover to the wedding). To avoid the family fracas, George focuses on his eczema-the "spot of bother" of the title-convinced that it is cancer and that he will die soon. Keating tries to establish a lighthearted tone, but Haddon's descriptions of the characters' misery, especially George's rapid descent into madness, are too graphic to be comical. Tone aside, Haddon writes well and Keating reads well, so many listeners will enjoy this contemporary British family portrait in which everyone will live relatively happily ever after-if only they can learn to communicate with one another. Simultaneous release with the Doubleday hardcover (Reviews, July 17).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From The New Yorker
Haddon's acclaimed debut novel, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," brilliantly imagined the inner world of an autistic teen-ager. Here the hero is similarly uncommunicative and detached, this time because of a stiff upper lip. George, recently retired, thinks talking is "overrated" and greets the death of a friend with relief "that they would not be playing squash again." Obsessed with his own mortality, he barely registers the dramas around him: his wife is having an affair, his daughter is marrying a man she's not sure she loves, and his son is afraid to bring his boyfriend to the wedding. Haddon has a deft comic touch, but he pushes his characters too hard toward epiphanies, and in the end this antic farce is merely affable, without surprises.
Copyright © 2006 Click here to subscribe to The New Yorker --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © 2006 Click here to subscribe to The New Yorker --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 74 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Mark Haddon had quite a challenge coming off of the quirky, wonderful "Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-time." How could you possibly follow that up? Haddon takes the noble approach by trying a different tact this time around; while "Incident" was seen solely from the point of view of one person (who just happened to be autistic), "Bother" takes on an entire family whose lives get shaken up in the weeks before the daughter's wedding. It's a very different approach that thankfully keeps Haddon's quirky sense of humor. Haddon also challenges himself by presenting us with some deeply shallow, selfish characters that for the first hundred pages are pretty severely unlikable. I was thoroughly convinced that there was no way I could ever care what happens to such wretched people, but Haddon proved me wrong. First, let's meet them: there's the matriarch, Jean, who has been having an affair with a former colleague of her husband; Jamie, the gay son, who has just been dumped by the boyfriend he stubbornly refused to invite to the wedding to meet his family; daughter Katie, whose nuptials may be cancelled because she can't decide if she loves her fiance or not; and George, the patriarch who suffers a complete mental breakdown after retirement and the appearance of a lesion on his hip (the titular spot of bother). Jean, Jamie, and Katie start out completely insufferable, but after the first hundred pages they have been forced to re-examine their lives and become determined to be better people. They discover their softer, more human sides and set about righting the wrongs they have committed. In no time at all I was hopelessly caught up rooting for them to get their lives back on track. George has the opposite problem: he has always been relatively stable, if emotionally distant. Caught up in a passed-mid-life crisis, he completely unravels. It is utterly fascinating -- and scarily realistic --to witness his descent into madness, and it gives the family drama a powerful edge that makes it all the more resonant. In the end I thoroughly enjoyed "A Spot of Bother" and its characters. And I really can't wait to see what Haddon comes up with next.
32 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Following up a book of rare excellence like Mr. Haddon's first novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is difficult. Seeing the world through the eyes of an autistic child like Christopher John Francis Boone is a real revelation. Seeing the world through the growing madness of George Hall in A Spot of Bother may not be the same but it is a worthy successor.
And, let's face it, George may be the one going clinically insane here, but he is surrounded by a family that could certainly try any man's nerves: a wife cheating on him with a former co-worker, an argumentative daughter marrying a man she's not sure she loves and a gay son who has trouble sustaining relationships. Haddon's success in this novel is that he manages all this madness in a way that seems very real.
To be honest, he handles it in such a realistic way that the first third of the novel is a bit of a slog. Interesting in the sense that you are getting to know these characters but trying in the sense that you are waiting for something more to happen. Then, around page 100, events start to accelerate and they don't let up until the final explosion and the wedding reception at the end of the novel (foreshadowed nicely, I might add, by real fireworks--the kind that explode in colors in the sky).
Far be it from me to give away any of the actual events. Needless to say, he pushes the boundaries of believability but doesn't quite break them. If there is a problem here, it's that everyone else except the four adults in this family seem so normal while they struggle with each other's craziness. But, then again, maybe that's how the world seems when we compare our families to the world at large. Which may be why this novel is fun to read.
And, let's face it, George may be the one going clinically insane here, but he is surrounded by a family that could certainly try any man's nerves: a wife cheating on him with a former co-worker, an argumentative daughter marrying a man she's not sure she loves and a gay son who has trouble sustaining relationships. Haddon's success in this novel is that he manages all this madness in a way that seems very real.
To be honest, he handles it in such a realistic way that the first third of the novel is a bit of a slog. Interesting in the sense that you are getting to know these characters but trying in the sense that you are waiting for something more to happen. Then, around page 100, events start to accelerate and they don't let up until the final explosion and the wedding reception at the end of the novel (foreshadowed nicely, I might add, by real fireworks--the kind that explode in colors in the sky).
Far be it from me to give away any of the actual events. Needless to say, he pushes the boundaries of believability but doesn't quite break them. If there is a problem here, it's that everyone else except the four adults in this family seem so normal while they struggle with each other's craziness. But, then again, maybe that's how the world seems when we compare our families to the world at large. Which may be why this novel is fun to read.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," and I didn't think "A Spot of Bother" could possibly live up to its predecessor. I was wrong. Amazingly, Mark Haddon's second book is even more brilliant than his first one. It also has a completely different feel to it than Haddon's first book, which makes it even more impressive.
"A Spot of Bother" is a hilarious look at the life of a dysfunctional British family. There's George, a recent retiree who is convinced that his eczema is actually cancer and slowly starts losing his mind. George's wife, Jean, is secretly having an affair with her husband's former colleague, David. Jamie, George and Jean's son, doesn't think his parents have accepted the fact that he's gay, and he's also having major problems with his boyfriend, Tony. Katie, George and Jean's daughter, has a young child from her disastrous first marriage and is about to marry Ray, a man that no one in her family can stand.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a comical farce with plenty of laughs, but it's also a touching family tale that all readers will probably be able to relate to on some level (which is a scary thought). I can't wait to see what Haddon writes next.
"A Spot of Bother" is a hilarious look at the life of a dysfunctional British family. There's George, a recent retiree who is convinced that his eczema is actually cancer and slowly starts losing his mind. George's wife, Jean, is secretly having an affair with her husband's former colleague, David. Jamie, George and Jean's son, doesn't think his parents have accepted the fact that he's gay, and he's also having major problems with his boyfriend, Tony. Katie, George and Jean's daughter, has a young child from her disastrous first marriage and is about to marry Ray, a man that no one in her family can stand.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a comical farce with plenty of laughs, but it's also a touching family tale that all readers will probably be able to relate to on some level (which is a scary thought). I can't wait to see what Haddon writes next.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Indeed more than a spot of bother
This was such a painful book to go through. Misery and agony throughout! Where was the charm, the wit, the near-genius of Haddon's previous Curious incident book? Read more
Published 5 days ago by Van
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny and poignant
This was as funny as it was disturbing. An excellent read for anyone vaguely familiar with an aging man, be it father or husband. Read more
Published 16 days ago by helennm
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lot of fun... and then a little bother
The author takes the perspective of a different family member in each chatper -- making it interesting to read but not making it hard to follow the story line. Read more
Published 21 days ago by S. Trimbath
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Spot of Bother - come prepared for British humor
I had read this book a few years ago and recommended it to my book club. To be honest, not everyone liked it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Susan L. Bruns
4.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyed it
I enjoyed it--it made me smile--the author did a great job of capturing personalities and family roles--and understated how families ignore big issues and focus on the unimportant.
Published 1 month ago by kathy johnson
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Spot of Bother
The book was all over the place. It took me a month to read. Found myself losing interest very quickly. I didn't want to give up on reading it though. Read more
Published 3 months ago by CareBearClementine
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best writers of our time
Just sit still and listen to the voice of this writer, notice the shift when the character changes, let the scenes take shape in your mind. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Judith Greenwood
4.0 out of 5 stars
dysfunctional family comedy is enjoyable-ish
'A Spot of Bother' is a whimsical, well observed comedy/drama about a family trying to cope with relationship issues during a very stressful time (the marriage of a daughter). Read more
Published 5 months ago by lazza
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do I have to write a review in order to put in my rating???
Well, I really liked it and want to give it a plug, so, here's why:
It's FUNNY. And I really like how gentle Haddon is with his flawed human beings. Read more
It's FUNNY. And I really like how gentle Haddon is with his flawed human beings. Read more
Published 5 months ago by H. Childs
2.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't be Bothered
It didn't take many pages to stop wasting my time on this book. Supposedly lighthearted and funny, for me the writing style was just plain irritating. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Janie News
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