High Fidelity: A Novel

Amazon.com

It has been said often enough that baby boomers are a television generation, but the very funny novel High Fidelity reminds that in a way they are the record-album generation as well. This funny novel is obsessed with music; Hornby's narrator is an early-thirtysomething English guy who runs a London record store. He sells albums recorded the old-fashioned way--on vinyl--and is having a tough time making other transitions as well, specifically adulthood. The book is in one sense a love story, both sweet and interesting; most entertaining, though, are the hilarious arguments over arcane matters of pop music.

Book Description

Rob is a pop music junkie who runs his own semi-failing record store. His girlfriend, Laura, has just left him and he's both miserable and relieved. After all, he could have spent his life with someone who has a bad record collection. Rob seeks refuge in the company of Barry and Dick, the offbeat clerks at his store who endlessly review their top five films, top five Elvis Costello songs, and top five episodes of Cheers. Rob tries dating a singer called Marie. Maybe its just that he's always wanted to sleep with someone who has a record contract. But then he sees Laura again. And Rob begins to think that a life as an episode of Thirty-something might not be so bad.

"...as funny, compulsive and contemporary a first novel as you could wish for" (GQ)