Received as a BookMooch.

“This thing about looking for someone less different... It only really worked, he realized, if you were convinced that being you wasn't so bad in the first place.”

The book is written with alternate chapters from both Will and Marcus so constructing a very interesting paradox between the too serious Marcus and the too irresponsible Will. This allows Hornby to show the same event from two differing perspectives with sometimes comic results that only the reader can visualize. Through their friendship we see both Marcus and Will grow. Will begins to realise that 'no man is an island' and that responsibility is not all bad whereas Marcus begins to stand up to his estranged parents and finds his own voice.

This is a relatively easy read with its language but not necessarily with its message which makes the reader examine their own relationships. I personally found Marcus's circus pyramid analogy very thought provoking. In a world of ever shifting relationships and changing family dynamics this is a very entertaining read.

Going out as part of a swap. Hope that you enjoy reading it!

Thanks for the book! :) looking forward to reading this, Hornby rarely disappoints.