Title: Juliet, Naked
Genre: Novel
Year: 2009
Pages: 240
Origin: bought for £1.99 from a Second Hand Bookshop
Nod Rating: 3 nods out of 5
The last time the Worm read a Nick Hornby book was back in late 2009. The book was A Long Way Down, and the Worm had this to say:
‘Has Nick Hornby – one of our most celebrated British writers of recent times – gone off the boil for good? A Long Way Down continues in the un-thrilling vein of previous novel How To Be Good. The energy of High Fidelity has fizzled. It is the Worm’s sincere hope it will return.’Since that review Hornby has continued to write; however, the Worm was not keen to continue reading. The Worm had always read each new Hornby release, including the earlier stronger works of Fever Pitch and High Fidelity; yet, it was a reading custom of diminishing returns. About A Boy was worse than High Fidelity, and How To Be Good was worse than About A Boy, and then A Long Way Down was worse than…well, you get the point. Hornby’s 2007 effort – Slam – has been completely ignored. But having felt sore and bruised from the most recent novel reading experience (Mary Shelley’s The Last Man), a nice, warm, easy read was in order. Please step down, Hornby’s Juliet, Naked.
But the question on all of your lips is: “Has the fizz returned?”
The jacket of the book would have us believe so: the Observer deemed it ‘pitch-perfect’, whilst the Spectator called it ‘Hornby’s best novel to date’. It is neither of these things, and does not reach the heights of Hornby’s truly best, High Fidelity. But, and this is a large but, it does mark the author’s return to form.
The plot finds a late thirty-something woman, Annie, regret her decision to ever hook up with her partner, Malcolm. Malcolm loves only one thing: a reclusive former rock-star, Tucker Crowe, whose “masterpiece” was an album about a woman named Juliet back in the mid-1980s. Having released a new compilation to rake in some cash – Juliet, Naked – Annie finally realises just how deluded her partner is; and a scathing, sobering review of the album leads to an email acquaintance with Tucker Crowe himself. Hornby focuses on the characters of Annie and Tucker, as both of them look back on the mistakes of their lives.
Similarly to all of Hornby’s novels, he seems incapable of finishing these plot stands successfully (however, the final two pages – in the format of an online forum – is probably his best final two pages to date). But Hornby’s gift has never been of good pacing, of plot nor of suspense; but rather of creating and developing interesting and warm characters. Such characters are usually out of touch with their time and with the majority of other people, but yet such people make the cornerstone of Hornby’s readership.
The Worm read the book in a handful of sittings; it proved the perfect tonic to reignite with reading once again. No, it is not a classic; and no, it will not make any lists of great novels. However, Hornby has shown he still wields his strong touch to create believable characters and their messed-up relationships in a funny world. For fans of Hornby’s back catalogue, put Juliet, Naked on the shopping list for the next holiday.
Buy it here!
