Clothed
By Alex / Spinebreakers Crew
“Juliet, Naked” at first seems like an unusual title. But it is “Naked” – that is, what it stands for within the book, which is the newly released album of long-inactive singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe – around which the entirety of the book is orientated.
Tucker Crowe hasn’t made music in two decades. In fact, he’s done close to nothing for two decades. Annie has been with Duncan for fifteen years, but feels as though she’s achieved about the same. All at once, both realise that they’ve lost years of their lives, with no idea how to go about getting them back. With differing opinions on Tucker’s recently released album of old demos – “Juliet, Naked” – Annie and Duncan are driven apart, and in a strange turn of events, Tucker and Annie pushed together.
“Naked” is the catalyst of the key events, but also a symbol for a lack of symbolism. Aside from its plot, the book looks at interpretations; have you ever sat in an English Literature lesson and wondered – is this really what the writer meant? Hornby addresses this question in “Naked”. Though the book is full of parallels and symbolism, he seems almost to use the techniques ironically. Can we analyse a piece of “art” too much?
Though, without giving anything away, the ending is somewhat unsatisfying, this book was certainly an enjoyable and thought-provoking read – but then again, perhaps it should just be taken for what it is: a witty and clever story about two lonely people who find each other. Or, at least, find something.