High Fidelity

Cover Story

"Made me laugh out loud more than any book I can remember. Hornby writes like Martin Amis with a heart or Roddy Doyle with an unfeasibly large record collection." (Tony Parsons - Daily Telegraph)

"Brilliant. A very funny and concise explanation of why we men are as we are. If you are male, you should read it and then make your partner read it, so they will no longer hate you but pity you instead." (Harry Enfield - Independent on Sunday)

We Say

A book which simply gives appraisal quotes on the back cover instead of a proper storyline introduction is either being very brave or very cocky. 'Read me', it's saying. 'Don't worry about the story - you'll like it'.

Rob Fleming owns a small record shop in London - that is, unless you're watching the movie version, starring John Cusack, which decides that little old London isn't appropriate for the story and moves everything to Chicago. Bitter? Us?

Moving on, Rob's girlfriend has not long left him and he's feeling a little unsure about his past. So begins an adventure in discovering the more uncertain part of our minds. I say 'our' minds because the focus is very much on realising just how much of Rob Fleming is in most of us. Chances are, you'll find yourself relating to more of High Fidelity than you'd readily admit amongst friends.

The storyline of High Fidelity has a recurring backbone of music and the book can be considered a lesson (or a reminder) of how much music shapes our lives. Again, you'll probably have to admit to more than you'd like.

Extremely funny, thought-provoking - High Fidelity is simply a fantastic book. It's just a pity the movie didn't stick to its roots.

Review by: Rob Cook