Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian
How to be Good delivers the same dry wit and subtle intelligence as Nick Hornby's other works (among them About a Boy, High Fidelity, and A Long Way Down). It is narrated by Katie, a middle-aged mother of two and wife of "The Angriest Man in Holloway," which is the byline on her husband's newspaper column. After many years of marriage, she is ready to call it quits but as she wavers and wrestles with this decision throughout the book, her husband undergoes some very dramatic changes. No longer is he angry (which means that he is now unemployed), he embarks on a campaign to save the world, starting with his street and city. He is mentored by his guru, GoodNews, a spiritual healer who moves into their home after being evicted from his apartment. Despite the humor and constant surprises, this book does address some complex issues: What makes someone a good person? Katie thinks she qualifies as Good because she is a doctor, a helper (even though she frequently has a bad attitude about her patients). Should being good require sacrifice? Is lack of marital happiness a sign of marital dysfunction? Does that merit divorce or require perseverance? Hornby was awarded the W H Smith Book Award for How to be Good in 2002.
