At fifty-seven, George is settling down to a comfortable retirement, building a shed in his garden, reading historical novels, listening to a bit of light jazz.
Unnoticed in the uproar, George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip, and quietly begins to lose his mind.
George is a simple man, he enjoys the simple tasks in life such as; a hot cup of tea in the morning, a new book in the evening and spending time on his studio.
So when he finds a small lesion on his side, his whole world is flipped upside down and everything isn't that simple anymore.
As George battles with his mind, his family are in a current battle of their own and falling apart at the seams. Katie, his argumentative daughter is planning to marry Ray, the "safe" partner, but when they have an argument and he storms out, Katie starts to question is she really marrying him for love, or because of her son Jacob?
Jamie, his uptight son is in love with Tony. It's that simple. Except its not and he's lost him for good and Tony doesn't want anything to do with him. Making a mess of things, all Jamie wants to do is win Tony back, not to be standing outside his flat at 4am covered in alcohol and vomit. Jamie just wants him to come to his sisters possible wedding and prove to Tony that he truly loves him.
Jean on the other hand, George's doubtful wife is caught up in her own web between George and David and doesn't know when to quit. She loves them both dearly, one more so than the other but who to choose is the question? Surely she must choose her own happiness first?
As everyone deals with their problems and a possible wedding to plan just around the corner. George chooses this exact moment to slip away and go quietly insane.
Though is there really a sane member of any family?
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon is such a wonderful read and its the second novel I have read by this author and he did not disappoint.
As you may remember I bought this in the new year with one of my many vouchers and gift cards that I received for Christmas last year. I got this through my Kobo as I'm slowly starting to need more room on my book shelves. Though I am hoping to upgrade to a new Kobo once returned from my summer holiday in July so keep your eyes out.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and felt that there is a good message behind the book regarding mental illness. Haddon shows it in the a different light and adds some humour into it so it doesn't seem all dark and gloomy, though there is still the seriousness off the illness and how he describes it is very well written.
There we're at times throughout the book where I may have wandered off the beaten track, but it picked back up again. The main character George is hilarious, I personally loved George, his son Jamie and his grandson Jacob (Simply because he reminded me of my little Jacob) The way George tackles his depression, anxiety and mental state is different but in ways I can understand what he was probably thinking and how he got to that stage.
At the time I didn't know how I felt about the ending, but looking back on it now it makes sense. Not everything and everyone will last forever, so make the most of what you have.
I will be reading more of Mark Haddon's work in the future and I'm sad to find that this didn't get enough hype as what it deserves. It may be different from his other books but I loved it and I understand the simplicity behind it. I am so glad i started with his other book 'The Red House' and not 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'.
I will give this book 8 out of 10
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