High Fidelity (1995)
Written by Nick Hornby
Author Nick Hornby
If there is anything that I have learned in my gluttonous but unfocused reading tendencies, it is that in good fiction there is a timeless quality. It’s the same quality that allows one to rip through “A Tale of Two Cities” nearly 150 years in its future and come away with that certain sense of the profound; with the gristle from the meat of the story stuck in one’s teeth.
“High Fidelity” is not “A Tale of Two Cities,” but that is not to take something away from it. It still resonates now, 15 years after I initially read it. Now married, then single; now more canny, then naive. I believe the book will resonate in another century barring The Singularity. Those of us that are likely to be left behind would still find a functional comfort in the narrative of “High Fidelity,” even while celebrating life on a suddenly less puritan and paranoid planet. The feelings and situations that the novel embraces are likely something to which every person who has ever been in a relationship can relate. Furthermore, and adding to its credit, “High Fidelity” is also written in the honest perspective of a man. A regular man. In being so it leaves behind the disconnect that is often experienced by men reading relationship fiction caused by misleading idealism, inappropriate humor, apologetic schlock, or gender bashing feminism.
Rob Fleming is a regular kind of guy. He owns a struggling record shop in downtown London. His life revolves around music (impeccable taste, in his opinion), and meandering thoughts that manifest themselves in lists (Top 5 Artists That Will Need to be Shot Come the Musical Revolution: 1. Simple Minds; 2. Michael Bolton; 3. U2; 4. Bryan Adams; 5. Genesis).
The book opens with Rob’s list of all-time break-ups in his life, ranging from pre-teen to the woman in college he felt he wasn’t good enough for and who indeed did eventually leave him. This last break up was The One that changed Rob’s life. His obsession over her leaving caused him to drop out of school and go to work at a record store. That eventually led to him owning a record store, but not with ambition enough to have it do anything but barely make ends meet.
The list of break-ups is for the sake of his most recent serious relationship with a woman named Laura. She has just left Rob. Intertwined in the narrative of the break-ups and during the course of the novel, Rob insists that the live-in relationship with Laura was a relationship of convenience, not romance; that they were so alike in their abhorring of relationships and passivity towards them that it just made sense for them to be together.
It still comes down to Rob having to either get over Laura or win her back. On this adventure we ride shotgun with Rob and see that he is not a victim, he is not the greatest guy, he is a little underhanded and mean, and he is utterly, completely, uncompromisingly, selfish. In other words, Rob is about as real as a fictional character can be.
To the woman reading this and thinking, “Welcome to my world, all men…” Stop it. Seriously. Men have to live with being written in the fictional world as goddamn Fabio in the ridiculously stupid bodice-rippers; as Rod Knight, Gentlemen Vampire, in the unfathomably inane paranormal romance; and as Detective Eric Romeo in the unconstitutional misery of romantic mysteries. If it is not those witheringly idiotic “Men” that men are portrayed as, then it is as the dark and tortured soul with deep buried honor who is only a moment in time away from realizing the glory of Woman. Hornby is honorable in writing Rob, however, because he is being honest regarding what a person is like. The men and women in “High Fidelity” are a little mean and underhanded, not the greatest person, and ultimately selfish. That’s one of the most immersible things about “High Fidelity:” While dealing with relationship issues, unfulfilled lives, growing older, and self doubt, the novel sets aside typical pollyanic attitudes and any other sort of fictional convenience for an honesty that leads quite naturally to a pretty harsh self analysis. Dr. Phil’s fake doctor shtick and cliche absurdity can’t touch that.
Rob’s support group is fabulously typical in its make-up to represent its archetypal real-life inspiration. Rob has two employees who are also friends and fellow music worshipers. They are made socially awkward by their undying music geektitude, but still offer Rob support that he may not recognize; in the same way he may not recognize the depth of their friendships. Rob also skirts around the presence of The Rebound Fling, who in her own way helps Rob grow; of the ex’s best friend and mother (who hasn’t been there?); and of The Other Exes.
To examine the reason behind why he is always on the broken end of a break-up, Rob ceremoniously decides to look up each of his past relationships that made The Top 5 to open the book. It is during this searching investigation, while simultaneously trying to cope with Laura’s departure, that Rob relates his life in a back and forth fashion, looking to the past and present while trying to avoid the future. Little by little Rob is exposed for the human he is – the man he is – and the man that a boy wanted to be. Each step of the journey is gently uncompromising and deliberate in revealing Rob, in revealing ourselves.
“High Fidelity” is hard and at times uncomfortable with it’s relentlessness doses of reality. By the end of the book, nearly the very last, we have become nihilist regarding Rob and understand that his very bleakness in our own lives. Rob is going to let us down again as we have let so many down and have been let down ourselves. It’s how life goes. Hornby avoids all whimsy and romance up until the very end. Therefore we are not mislead with Hornby’s one mis-direction. It makes us smile ruefully for it seems too little, too late.
And then it is with the very last sentence that we find hope for Rob and ourselves.
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I love this book for many of the reasons you’ve mentioned, and then some. Glad to see you enjoy it too
Just for the sake of argument, there are some of us who have never read a single romance novel. Just sayin’.
It’s been a long time since I read this book, but I’ve seen the movie a bunch of times – I know, apples & oranges. I only mention that because at this point, I can’t remember if in the book, Rob also gives his top 5 things he loves about Laura, or if it’s only in the movie. At any rate, I always think that’s a pretty awesome standard to shoot for – being appreciated for who we really are, in spite of the garden-variety schizo-women-stuff and boring underwear.
Baroness Heather´s last blog ..My One Piece of Advice
I know that there are MANY
However, it still seems so much of what I used to hear in complaint or ‘revelation’ was straight out of Cassie Edwards or Oprah. I’ve always felt HF was refreshingly real.
Seriously though: The last sentence in HF almost changed my life on a dime. It was profound to the 21 year old version of me.
I’ve actually never read the book. Do I lose cool points for that?
I’ve never read a romance novel either. So I’ll take a push.
Elwood Blues´s last blog ..Bookmark
Nah. I would def not call it a book for the ‘cool.’ It’s just a good book.