Customer Reviews

From Stockport With Love Pb

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This apparently semi-autobiographical novel is a somewhat odd take on the kind of "emotionally immature man must finally grow up" light dramady perfected by Nick Hornby. As it starts, we meet James Bond superfan John Bryce on the eve of his son's birth -- and it's immediately obvious that he's terrified by the thought of being a father. And in the following weeks he feels little connection to the wee lad and erects an emotional Berlin wall around himself. Meanwhile, his own father lies in a hospital, felled by a stroke and unable to speak. The final assault on his psyche is the discovery that the baby has a heart defect and must have a risky operation.

John doesn't handle this very well and is told by his all-too-forgiving wife to go off get his head straight. Already well on the way to a mental breakdown, this leeway to run away sends him into a semi-comedic break with reality. He sort of thinks he's James Bond, his father is M, and the heart surgeon a Bond villain whose nefarious plan to kill the baby must be stopped. So he rents an Aston Martin, buys a replica Beretta and shoulder holster, and heads off to tool around France, eat a little food, hit a casino, and catch up with a sexy pen pal from school. This is all kind of funny, but also a bit clunky. It's often not really clear if he really thinks he's Bond, or if he's just having a bit o a role-playing lark. Either way, the book is sprinkled with heavy doses of Bond references (to both book and film versions), which are probably much funnier to fellow Bond-lovers than the average reader.

The story's treatment of John's inability to deal with being a father -- which might be viewed as a kind of male postpartum denial -- is only so-so. The seriousness of these very real issues are undercut by the comedic treatment and, as in so many of these kinds of books, John is the beneficiary of an unnaturally patient wife. Where the book is much better is in his reflections on his childhood and his own father. These bits are much more bittersweet and realistic, and for that reason, touching. The overall message is that you can't wait to express how you feel, because it might be too late when you get around to it. This is isn't anything groundbreaking, but because the consequences are very real, it resonates a great deal more with the reader.