GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton I'd heard a lot about the author, the hype of her previous book and that's what prompted me to read this book.
GOOD MATERIAL is about Andy Dawson, a London-based stand-up comedian and how he processes, or rather doesn't, his break up, something he doesn't see coming. He gets more obsessed and hung up on his ex, Jen. We see how in the aftermath of the break-up Andy is blind to everything that actually went between him and his ex. He's adamant that he's sure he's not at fault and is baffled at how Jen has fallen out of love with him out of the blue. In the next 4-5 months, we see him try to analyse the break-up and dream of getting back with his ex. All the while his work suffers without him realising until it's a bit late.
Things make much more sense when at the end of the story we read Jen, the ex's POV on the whole break-up. Andy's whole personality is accurately described by Jen at the end and the reader will be justified in being frustrated with Andy's refusal and reluctance at moving on.
What disappointed me was the sheer stubbornness of Andy, him hanging on to his ex and keeping at it, he kept romanticising his identity of their relationship, his idea of what they were and could've been. Also, I didn't get the hype or this being routed as a modern-day handbook of processing breakups. This is, the stage of processing an unexpected breakup, something most have done and dusted. Being a stand-up artist Andy realises very late that he could've processed the break up in a different manner, as material for his work, something we've seen artists run with almost as it's happening. So this gap between him holding on to it and finally when he sees it not working, treating it as material, something he should've done when he was suggested to do by his fellow comedian.
What will engage the reader most is how Andy is so focused on his ex-relationship and holds on tight to the idea of a relationship when the reality is something different.
In all this, what I really enjoyed was Jen, the ex's POV, how she very succinctly gives us a crash course in what makes her - her. It is something I liked, could relate to and even cheer for.
Read it for what you shouldn't be doing after a breakup. If you are someone who's fond of holding on to memories for their nostalgia effect and loves a good sad read, pick up a copy.
Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.
Now he is. . .
Without a home
Waiting for his stand-up career to take off
Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking
Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story…
In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.
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