On the HahaFiction shelf
High Fidelity
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.
From the publisher’s blurb
“a wise and hilarious novel about love, heartbreak, and rock and roll.”Read the full description at Penguin Random House publisher description
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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.
A few distinguishing details
- Record-shop arguments over top-five lists
- A breakup filtered through pop-music opinions
More funny contemporary & literary
Sources & further reading
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
- Publisher
Publisher
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