A Spot of Bother (Vintage) by Mark Haddon
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Book Reviews of A Spot of Bother (Vintage)
Book Review: Fascinating stuff
Summary: 4 Stars
An interesting romp through the lives of a troubled family. I found it difficult to follow the character names but once I wrote them down I was able to get it. Excellent and memorable scenes near the end that make up for some overly-depressing stuff early on.Book Review: I Was "Bothered" Just a "Spot"...
Summary: 3 Stars
I was "bothered" just a "spot" by Mark Haddon's latest offering, and for the longest time I couldn't figure out why. Was the book funny? Yes, in quite a few parts. Did the book seem to portray flawed and fully human characters? Yes. Was the book engaging, plot-wise? Yes, very much so!
So why didn't I like it, or at least like it enough to give it more than 3 stars? Maybe it's because I'm an American and was confused by all the British slang. Maybe I got a little discombobulated trying to keep up with all the things the different characters were doing at the same time. Or maybe, just maybe, the characters all seemed too harsh, too unlovable, and too unsympathetic. I wasn't expecting "Full House" dynamics here, but neither was I expecting a family as quite without warmth as the Halls.
George Hall, as he tries not to lose his mind, is never treated very well by his immediate family even when he's completely lucid. Sure, George is irascible and far from perfect, but I felt, and only felt, for George.
What is Jean Hall doing "shagging" her husband's business colleague when she has a husband that truly does love her even when not in his right mind? At the end of the book, she seems to resolve to stay with George more out of resignation than love, which is a terrible motive for doing so. Either you truly love someone, or you should leave them. So say I.
Katie Hall is the ultimate "Bridezilla", and her hapless fiance Ray doesn't even suspect it until the end. He still marries Katie, and I pity the future he'll have with her. Between Katie's temper tantrums and those of her young son, Jacob (not to mention wiping the latter's bottom), will Ray ever come to figure out that Katie doesn't really love him? (Note: Their 'falling in love' part doesn't seem convincing to me, Mr. Haddon.)
I didn't even mention Jamie, or the boyfriend that dumped him and then came back to him for--I still can't fathom what reason. What the dvukh?!?
My verdict: Skip this one, or borrow it from the library or your friends!
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
Mark Haddon's first adult novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, was so impressive, that when I picked up A Spot of Bother, I was sure it was going to be a great read. It wasn't. The characters were so disagreeable that I honestly could not drum up any kind of sympathy for them.
Basically, the plot revolves around George, a 61-year-old retiree, who is convinced that he is dying of a lesion on his hip. Of course, being British, he says nothing about the lesion, or his anxiety. Instead he politely goes mad. We don't really know why, because there was nothing in George's character to suggest that a small lesion would cause such intense paranoia. George's wife is having an affair. Again, we don't really know why, because, like her husband, she doesn't indulge in verbal expression. George's daughter, a selfish, impulsive creature, is about to marry a complete boor, whom nobody likes. Nor do we, as he seems to have no redeeming qualities. Various events occur, none of which you will remember five minutes after reading about them. Eventually, the boor shows himself to be a better person than we thought, and the other dysfunctional characters, while not really improved, somehow manage to resolve their various problems. I am pretty sure that I didn't actually care when they did.
I had the feeling that Haddon intended this to be a critique of British reserve. Critiques, like any other sort of novel, need to have characters we care about. They also need plots. Haddon, in spite of being a very fine writer, failed on both these counts. And while I didn't regret reading A Spot of Bother (it does have an occasional entertaining scene, and I wasn't doing anything else that day), I can't honestly say it is the sort of book that I would recommend to anyone else.
Book Review: Funny and touching novel
Summary: 3 Stars
I read Mark Haddon's already acclaimed debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a few years ago and found it to be one of the most interesting books I read in years. Plus, it was damn funny, in that English stiff upper lip sort of way.
In his follow-up novel, Haddon takes the same approach as he did with his first, but instead of detailing the inner world of an autistic teenager, he takes on a recent retiree named George Hall who exhibits all the trademarks of men who find that once they have to deal with their wife and family 24/7, that they almost would welcome death as a good friend. Also, George is a man who cannot articulate his problems, because, well, that would not be right.
Still, convinced a bit of eczema on his hip is cancer, George goes into a tailspin, just as family situations become even greater than one can think of. This laugh-out loud slice of domestic life is wonderfully realized by Haddon, and it zips along from one major family problem to George's increasing morbid fascination with death. There is some deft comic touches here, and while there are no big surprises here, and you know how it will end, Haaddon's ability to create real characters with real problems is a talent little seen in today's fiction.
Book Review: Funny but a bit disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
One family, 4 intertwining stories: mother Jean is having an affair with a former colleague of her husband George; George has discovered a lesion on his hip and is convinced it is cancer despite the fact that the doctor says it is eczema; grown-up daughter Katie is a divorced mother of a 3-year old and is getting married to Ray but is having last-minute hesitations; and finally grown-up son Jamie has a relationship with Tony but is cocking that up too. And all this during the time that everybody is preparing for Katie's wedding that will take place at her parents' house. George is steadily losing his mind and the whole family tries to help the other family members to cope with whatever is happening to them.
All this leads to hilarious situations, but that's about it. After "The curious incident of the dog in the night-time" (a book about an autistic boy that gives a wonderful insight into the minds of autistic people), I had very high expectations of the new book of Mark Haddon, but this book is simply funny and has none of the moving and compassionate aspects of his previous book. So yes, it was fun to read but it still left me slightly disappointed.