# High Fidelity

By Nick Hornby

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/high-fidelity-645af5dd/

Rob runs a struggling record shop in London and knows exactly what he thinks about music. After Laura leaves him, he has far more trouble deciding what he wants from a relationship. The shop and its opinionated clerks give him somewhere to retreat.

## What makes it funny?

Rob and his colleagues turn conversation into top-five lists. Elvis Costello songs, movies and episodes of Cheers all receive the kind of scrutiny that Rob struggles to bring to his own behavior.

### The comedy at work

Hornby gives a man with firm opinions about records much less certainty about commitment. The record-shop banter and Rob’s self-absorbed reasoning keep exposing the limits of his expertise.

### Try this if…

Music obsessives and readers who like rueful relationship comedy will recognize the appeal of arguing over lists. Publishers Weekly found that the accumulation of pop-culture rankings could also grow tiresome.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary · Romance
- Kind of humor: Banter · Dry wit
- Format: Novel

## A few distinguishing details

- Record-shop arguments over top-five lists
- A breakup filtered through pop-music opinions

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781573220163)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318696/high-fidelity-by-nick-hornby)