burning, um, warm

Big fan of Nick Hornby here. I read About a Boy, then High Fidelity, and I wanted more. I was desperate enough to read Fever Pitch, which is about British football, for pete's sake. And to my surprise, I wasn't bored.

Now, I'm not a football/soccer fan, and I have to admit that all the play-by-play descriptions of past games played by obscure British teams did nothing for me. But the way Hornby revealed his obsession, his near addiction to the game, and the way it has impacted his life was fascinating. The almost confessional-like atmostphere in which he describes fan ritual and desperation was not lost on me, and brings me closer to understanding the sports fans in my own life.

But most of all, this novel is what all Hornby novels are : insightful, entertaining, and funny. Don't turn away from it because it is about football. Skip the passages that don't interest you, if you must. The rest of it is worth it.