The book’s opening line ‘They had flown from England to Minneapolis to look at a toilet’ made me excited that Nick Hornby had placed some event in his new book in our fair city! The book’s key character, 1980s rock musician Tucker Crowe has an obsessive Internet following who concern themselves with many ‘truths’ about his life and work, particularly a break-up album called ’Juliet.’ Duncan is the webmaster at ‘Can Anybody Hear Me?, which chronicles the music and Tucker’s seemingly reclusive life. When an acoustic demo version of ’Juliet’ is released—the ’Juliet, Naked’ reference—and both Duncan and partner Annie write reviews of it, things start to change for all the principal characters. What’s true and what’s not so true about a life—and the obsession some have for celebrity lives—is all revealed in another Hornby winner, using both the music and literature he knows so well to wonderful advantage. He’s razor sharp illuminating these characters foibles and inadequacies, and we love their passion even as we look a little more closely at our own! This book, like all his I’ve read, just makes me laugh and I love him for it. You will, too.

posted Dec 8, 2009 at 9:31AM

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