About a Boy

British working-class literature often shocks Americans with its psychological cruelty and vulgarity. In this sly, humorous and somewhat softened example, author Hornby gives us a sympathetic look at a flawed young hero fumbling toward manliness. As a footloose, unambitious bachelor becomes strangely attracted to a suicidal unwed mother and her odd son, At times, cockney David Cale seems excruciatingly dull and dense; at other times, to have dug deeper into his characters' angst than the author has. While his reading is confident, he misses much of the humor in the story. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine