Summary
About a boy is about the lives of two boys. The story takes place in London , somewhere in 1994. Will is a 36-year old man who still acts like a teenager. He is very trendy and finds it very important to be “cool”. He knows which sneakers to wear, which music to listen to and which clubs to go. He lives a very isolated life in his stylish apartment, doesn’t have any friends and fills up his day with ‘units’ (for example: going to a record shop is one unit) because he doesn’t have a job because of his inherited wealth.
Then there is another boy, Marcus. Marcus is twelve years old but acts like a grown-up. He takes care of his suicidal hippie mother and wants her to be happy. He get bullied by kids from his school because he listens to Mozart instead of “Snoop Doggy Dogg” and wears sandals instead of sneakers like the rest of them. Will discovers a great (easy!) way to score with women: at single parents groups. He joins SPAT (Single Parents Alone Together) and there he meets Marcus. They somehow become friends and Marcus intrudes in Will's life even though Will doesn’t want him to, but he gets used to it. They see that they can learn a lot from each other: Will shows Marcus how to act like a normal kid and Marcus helps Will growing up.
I really like this book because the characters are incredibly funny and they really come to life when you read it. I think my favourite character was Will because he is just so pathetic. He takes little quizzes in teen magazines just to make sure he scores high enough on the “cool-o-meter”, and if he turned out to be “sub-zero” in the quiz he is very proud of himself. The differences between Marcus and Will are also great. They’re just the exact opposite of each other. But at the other hand, they have things in common. Like that they are both quite lonely and they both don’t have any friends and that they both don’t exactly know how to behave when they are with other people.
Another great thing about the book is that the perspective changes every chapter, thus the story is told in two different ways, through the eyes of Will and Marcus. That is very interesting because you can see a situation from both sides. Since you can read what the character thinks you’ll get to know the characters very well and you’ll feel with them. It’s just fun to read about two different persons who help each other out.
The story is also very original. The subject is very dark and sad (Marcus mother wants to kill herself and there is a lot of drama in it) but at the same time it’s hugely funny. Especially the passage where Marcus kills a duck in the park with a piece of bread. This was the first time I laughed out loud while I was reading a book. Marcus was just trying to hit a duck with a piece of bread, like he tries a lot of things (reading thoughts and getting the highest score on the gameboy – but he never managed to). But then he actually hits the duck and even was so unlucky to pick one duck that was that pathetic enough to die and turned over in the water. The funny thing about this passage are the thoughts of Marcus. He feels very sorry and is very bothered by the fact that the only thing he’d ever achieved through trying was something that he hadn’t want to do that much in the first place.
At the end of the book, Will, Marcus’ mother and Marcus became friends. Will has become more social and can handle a relationship and Marcus has become more confident and is not being bullied anymore. At the last page, Marcus and Will both know that everything is going to be OK. I find the ending of the book very satisfying because I like happy endings. It’s also good to see that both characters have changed during the book.
I would definitely recommend this book to everybody. It’s a great story, the characters are genius, the humour is brilliant, the different perspectives are very good and it’s just such a good read. (You should see the film too!)
About a boy is about the lives of two boys. The story takes place in London , somewhere in 1994. Will is a 36-year old man who still acts like a teenager. He is very trendy and finds it very important to be “cool”. He knows which sneakers to wear, which music to listen to and which clubs to go. He lives a very isolated life in his stylish apartment, doesn’t have any friends and fills up his day with ‘units’ (for example: going to a record shop is one unit) because he doesn’t have a job because of his inherited wealth.
Then there is another boy, Marcus. Marcus is twelve years old but acts like a grown-up. He takes care of his suicidal hippie mother and wants her to be happy. He get bullied by kids from his school because he listens to Mozart instead of “Snoop Doggy Dogg” and wears sandals instead of sneakers like the rest of them. Will discovers a great (easy!) way to score with women: at single parents groups. He joins SPAT (Single Parents Alone Together) and there he meets Marcus. They somehow become friends and Marcus intrudes in Will's life even though Will doesn’t want him to, but he gets used to it. They see that they can learn a lot from each other: Will shows Marcus how to act like a normal kid and Marcus helps Will growing up.
Another great thing about the book is that the perspective changes every chapter, thus the story is told in two different ways, through the eyes of Will and Marcus. That is very interesting because you can see a situation from both sides. Since you can read what the character thinks you’ll get to know the characters very well and you’ll feel with them. It’s just fun to read about two different persons who help each other out.
The story is also very original. The subject is very dark and sad (Marcus mother wants to kill herself and there is a lot of drama in it) but at the same time it’s hugely funny. Especially the passage where Marcus kills a duck in the park with a piece of bread. This was the first time I laughed out loud while I was reading a book. Marcus was just trying to hit a duck with a piece of bread, like he tries a lot of things (reading thoughts and getting the highest score on the gameboy – but he never managed to). But then he actually hits the duck and even was so unlucky to pick one duck that was that pathetic enough to die and turned over in the water. The funny thing about this passage are the thoughts of Marcus. He feels very sorry and is very bothered by the fact that the only thing he’d ever achieved through trying was something that he hadn’t want to do that much in the first place.
At the end of the book, Will, Marcus’ mother and Marcus became friends. Will has become more social and can handle a relationship and Marcus has become more confident and is not being bullied anymore. At the last page, Marcus and Will both know that everything is going to be OK. I find the ending of the book very satisfying because I like happy endings. It’s also good to see that both characters have changed during the book.
I would definitely recommend this book to everybody. It’s a great story, the characters are genius, the humour is brilliant, the different perspectives are very good and it’s just such a good read. (You should see the film too!)
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