I have always loved the film About a Boy so when I managed to find a copy of the book as part of my Great Reads collection, I was intrigued to see how similar it was to the film. I’d heard good things about the book anyway, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how similar the dialogue, tone, and humour was.

Title: About a Boy
Author: Nick Hornby
Type: Fiction
Published: 1998
Pages: 191
TW: suicide, bullying, drug use

“Loving people, and allowing yourself to be loved, was only worth the risk if the odds were in your favour, but they quite clearly weren’t. There were about seventy-nine squillion people in the world, and if you were very lucky, you would end up being loved by fifteen or twenty of them. So how smart did you have to be to work out that it just wasn’t worth the risk?”

About a Boy is a coming-of-age story focusing mainly on Will Freeman, a thirty-something bachelor, and Marcus Brewer, a 12-year-old curious boy. These two become unlikely companions after the attempted suicide of Marcus’ mother and they find in each other something they have both been missing. Hilarious, awkward and very, very British, it’s hard not to fall in love with this story.

As I briefly mentioned earlier, what I loved about the film adaptation is that it felt like 99% of the dialogue was pulled straight from the book which made it familiar and instantly recognisable. There’s no denying that Hornby is a talented writer, so it made no sense to change his words!

The reason this story is so heart-warming is the relationship between Will and Marcus and I’m so glad to say that the film also did this justice. They both struggle with life in their own ways but both sort of fill a hole for the other so they can start seeing life a little more optimistically. Grant and Hoult bring to life these characters perfectly, and for once, I think the film is just as good as the book!

Title: About a Boy
Director: Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz
Released: 2002
Length: 1 hr 41 mins
TW: suicide, bullying

 “Once you open your door to one person, anyone can come in.”

In terms of following the plot, for the first 3/4 of the film, it follows the book pretty much to the letter, however, the ending is different. I won’t say how so as not to spoil it, but what I will say, is that I think I actually preferred the film’s ending… probably a controversial thing to admit! There was also no reference of the band Nirvana or Kurt Cobain, both of which crop up frequently in the book, though it doesn’t take away from the book’s impact.

The book also includes more appearances from the secondary characters such as Marcus’ dad and Ellie. I don’t think the film cuts anything vital out by choosing to include less of this, if anything, it focuses the story more on Will and Marcus which I think is the crux of what makes the film so great.

Overall whether you choose to read the book or watch the film, both are heart-warming and impactful stories that I guarantee you will want to revisit. Very glad I finally picked up Hornby’s book and I would certainly be interested in reading more from him.