What is the formula behind this book’s success?
By Ben Hickey / Spinebreakers Crew
Originally published in 1995, it is fair to say that Nick Hornby’s ‘High Fidelity’ has stood the test of time. It has sold well over one million copies, and has received glowing reviews. Therefore, the question must be asked: What is the formula behind this book’s success?
Almost annoyingly, the answer is astonishingly simple. Hornby has put believable characters with believable problems into a believable setting, and has thrown a love story in for good measure. It is the situation that so many people face on a daily basis, but what makes this read particularly special are the circumstances in which the primary character, Rob Fleming, finds himself in.
Rob Fleming is a typical, middle aged man who feels that his life is slowly slipping away from him. He spends his days in his record shop with two hilariously dysfunctional assistants, Dick and Barry. Both inject some much needed humour into the plot and in turn connect with the reader by simply being odd and quirky. Deep down, there is probably a piece of Dick and Barry in us all.
Of course, we are always trying to second guess the destination of Rob and his ex-partner Laura’s relationship. It would have been tempting for Hornby to throw a far fetched event into the mix merely for the entertainment factor. Instead, Hornby remains loyal to reality and uses his narrative skill to guide his two flawed characters through the pages, whilst keeping his audience hooked. It is a balance that so many other authors have failed to perfect, but Hornby pulls it off without cutting any corners.
What, then, is the formula behind this book’s success? Nick Hornby has written a believable, painfully honest and joyfully true to life book and that, ultimately, is a winning formula.