A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby
A Novel of Four Londoners’ Journey in the Direction of Wholeness
Four suicidal people form a makeshift family despite their lack of commonality and personality clashes in this brilliant novel by British writer Nick Hornby
Publisher:Riverhead Books
Publication Date:2005
ISBN:9781573223027
Possibly the Most Uplifting Novel about Suicidal People Ever Written
British author Nick Hornby is at the top of his game with his novel A Long Way Down. The story begins with four random characters: Martin, Maureen, Jess, and JJ, on the roof of a tall building named “Toppers House” on New Year’s Eve. The building is the destination of choice for suicidal Londoners, and this motley quartet comes together by a series of coincidences.
It does not spoil the story to reveal that they decide not to jump. In fact, the four, who couldn’t possibly have less in common with each other come down from the roof of Toppers House and form a sort of makeshift family, one held together with piano wire and chewing gum and a strange combination of mutual curiosity and contempt.
Jess, Martin, and Maureen Can be Seen to Represent Freud’s Concepts of the Id, Ego, and Superego
Jess, a blustery teenager, represents the id of the group. Her speech and actions are unfiltered. She says whatever is on her mind, including those things that everyone thinks at one time or another, but doesn't say out loud. Jess’ truth telling and transparent candor catalyze many of the changes in herself and the other three.
Martin, a 40-ish former television host who has found himself splashed throughout the current British tabloids, is a representation of the ego. His overwhelming concern for his own well being, and his need to see a flattering reflection of himself in the eyes of others leave him unable to give of himself at all.
Having been left by his neglected ex-wife, Martin finds himself bewildered by his ties to Jess, Maureen, and JJ – particularly Jess, who with her brutal honesty holds up a mirror to Martin and makes him see some of his own faults.
Maureen is a middle aged woman, and the mother of Matty, who has spent his life in a wheelchair, unaware of the world around him. Maureen symbolizes the superego. While Jess has no sense of propriety, and Martin only uses it as a tool when he thinks he will benefit, Maureen is totally directed by a sense of duty to her son and her church. She believes that her son’s sad condition is due to the fact that he was conceived out of wedlock.
To Maureen, Matty is the cross she believes she must bear for her mistakes, and she has led a completely closed-in life for two decades raising him. She moves into the world in tiny baby steps, and by the end of the novel, Maureen has changed more than any character.
JJ, the only American, functions as a sort of sweet, oafish Greek chorus. He seems to see the situation the most clearly, and despite his seeming lack of education and stereotypical American slacker mentality, JJ is actually the deepest and wisest character.
Though this is a book about four suicidal people, there are a number of laugh-out-loud passages, and countless examples of Hornby’s spectacular gift for biting wit. There are also moments of real heartbreak. The scene where Jess, visiting Maureen and Matty for the first time, discovers Maureen’s heartbreaking efforts to feel like a “normal” mother to a “normal” son is particularly moving.
Though the changes in the characters appear slight, Hornby’s larger truth is that changes that are imperceptible to the world are often the ones that lead to real progress in the right direction. This is a stunning novel, and a great introduction to Hornby’s work for those unfamiliar with it.
