I think perhaps my fellow reviewers of Nick Hornby's books should at least have the author's name correct before they make the putrid claim that the film version of "About a Boy" is better than the book. The book is better in the same way that "High Fidelity" was a better book than film. In the book we get the internal dialog of the protagonist, which not only allows the reader to know each character better, but allows more sympathy for characters who often act as great boors.

Nick Hornby has a great talent for illuminating the most common concerns of normal people in swift prose that is oh-so British with its subtle humor underneath. One can read Hornby's books and find that while some characters, such as Will in About A Boy's case, are immensely self-centered and quite unlikeable, we nevertheless relate to them and become attached because we recognize a piece of that selfishness in ourselves. Hornby was masterful at achieving this in his first three books, ("Fever Pitch," "High Fidelity," and "About a Boy") and each is well worth the read.

One other argument in favor of reading the book rather than seeing the movie: the movie version of "About a Boy" cuts out a central character from the book who allows the titular "boy" to find a bit more of himself. The movie simply can't cover it without being four hours long. And, past reviewer, get your head out of the sand. The book is ALWAYS better.

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