Novel Idea

By Natalie Calderon

Hanging out in a small used bookstore one day last year, I happened to stumble across a beat up old paperback by a British guy named Nick Hornby. The book was High Fidelity. I bet most of you saw the movie starring John Cusack and loved it -- how could you not?

I was with a friend, trying to get an ad from this bookstore for the Santa Clara Review. "What better way to get an ad from the store than to purchase something from the store?" we thought. We are a clever pair. So we pulled High Fidelity off the shelf and tossed it onto the counter.

We split the cost of the book -- about two dollars each, considering all books in the store are half-priced. My friend took it home and read it first and I forgot about it until one day she called me up and said, "I finished High Fidelity. You have to read it -- you'll love it. Better than the movie." I honestly jumped up and down with excitement.

Luckily it was Christmas Break and I had time free of homework and midterms to spend engrossed in such a lovely novel. So I curled up on the couch, cracked the book open and indulged myself in the clever, witticism that is Hornby.

I could not put the book down. I fell in love with Rob, the "pop music junkie" who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, spends the entire book contemplating the "top five" breakups of his life. Rob's life is centered around the record store that he runs with fellow music junkies Barry and Dick, and the three let time pass by with an endless array of "top five" lists.

Unlike the movie, which takes place in New York, Hornby's novel takes place in London, so the cheeky British lingo comes into play, and you find yourself reading the story in your pretend British accent. It's quite lovely, really.

High Fidelity is one of the best reads I've ever had. It's laugh-out-loud-even-when-you're-all-alone funny, and endearing until the last sentence. Buy it. Read it. Love it.