My Life in Books- Sarah Jones

‘My Life in Books’ Sarah Jones

These are the books that have impacted on my life from childhood to adulthood. Hope you enjoy reading this piece. Sarah x

Moby Dick- Herman Melville

Moby Dick was first published in 1851and is widely considered to be a ‘great’ American novel and a ‘treasure’ of World Literature. And it is hard not to see why. When I was younger, this was the first book that I read a chapter of each week. And I was captivated by the adventures of Ishamel, a wandering sailor on the Whaleship Pequoid whose sole purpose to seek out Moby Dick (a sperm white whale).

The reason why I love Moby Dick so much is that it opened my eyes to how Literature can transform you into another world, reaches out to you and takes you along for the ride. For example, when Ishamel and his team meet Moby Dick and for two days pursues the whale, causes widespread destruction and the disappearance of Fedallah. This scene in particular generated a mass of great excitement, goosebumps and had me hooked to what would happen next in the story.

What makes Moby Dick special is how Melville employs stylized language, symbolism and metaphor to explore Ishamel’s  personal, social, and spiritual journey through for example concepts of class and social status, good and evil and also his place in our Universe. To me, that is why Moby Dick is more than deserving of its accolade and praise within the literary world.

Bridget Jones's Diary- Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones’ Diary was first published in 1996 and was evolved from Fielding’s columns on Bridget Jones in the The Independent and The Daily Telegraph newspapers. It is also now a best-selling film that was first released in 2001. It is often known by people and critics as the first ‘chick lit’ novel and also the ‘chick lit’ genre. When I was reading the novel in my early teenage years, I was hooked by the simple layout and narrative that Fielding constructs (using the personal diary format) that tracks a year in Bridget’s life as a thirty- something single woman working and living in London.

The reason why I adore Bridget Jones’ Diary so much is that you can relate to the character of Bridget and her problems so much. The main focus of the novel is surrounding Bridget’s love life and her ambition to find her ‘knight in shining armour’, while also dealing with problems surrounding her friends and her parent’s relationship. Over the course of the novel, Fielding uses the plot of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to show how Bridget towards the end of the novel finds her ‘happy ending’ with Mark Darcy. For example, when Bridget is asked by family and friends “How is your love life?” and also how she gets involved in a ‘doomed’ relationship with Daniel Cleaver.

Bridget Jones’ Diary takes the readers on a adventure that has ups and downs (just like our lives in general) that will make you laugh and giggle, makes you smile and also cry along with Bridget but also support her through her problems. But this book has sparked off an interest within myself into how society within the 1990’s had an obsession with women’s magazine such as Cosmopolitan and also criticised wider societal trends in Britain at that time. 

About a Boy- Nick Hornby

About a Boy was first published in 1998 and has been made into a best-selling film starring Hugh Grant in 2002. After finishing reading Bridget Jones’ Diary, I was suggested to read Hornby’s novel by my English teacher at the time which I believe is Hornby’s answer to Fielding’s novel. As with Hornby’s previous novel, the brilliant and sharp High Fidelity, Hornby uses the confessional novel format to track the lives and problems with his two protagonist characters Will Freeman and Marcus Brewer in 1993 and 1994 in London.

What I find so enduring about the novel, is Hornby’s ability to pinpoint and describe accurately the problems Will and Marcus find themselves in, yet also provide them both with a sense of hope and encouragement through their friendship with each other. For example, throughout the novel we find that Will seems to be having problems maintaining a relationship with women (in one case making up a two year child called Ned to meet single women after a relationship with Angie) but also Marcus is having problems with bullying while being at school. The friendship that Will and Marcus share instantly got me hooked to the novel further and also wanting to see if they could overcome their problems together and individually.

About a Boy for me highlights and explores just how important friendship can be in terms of providing general and emotional support to each other. I would also say that from studying the novel at University in my second year has reinforced my interest (just like Bridget Jones) into how society was changing during the 1990’s (families not staying together anymore) but also what it means to be a ‘man’ socially and how masculinity is presented within this period. 

His N Hers- Mike Gayle

His N Hers was first published in 2005 and is one of Gayle’s best loved books (according to Amazon). I was introduced to Mike Gayle through two mutual friends who really enjoyed reading him and highly praised this book in particular. After much persuasion, I decided to read it. And thank god that I did. As yes, Gayle may well be using the male confessional novel format just like Hornby (who I love) but he pushes the boundaries of the genre even further.

The reason why I love His N Hers is that Gayle breaks the reader’s expectations by introducing the characters of Jim and Alison through the death of their cat ‘Disco’ and then explores the ‘beginning’, ‘middle’  and ‘end’ of  their relationship breaking down. Gayle achieves this by allowing both Jim and Alison to comment separately which has not been used before within the genre and provides an extra viewpoint that the readers may not expect.

Throughout the novel, through a series of weird, funny and unusual situations, we track the relationship of Jim and Alison that at times left me giggling, angry and frustrated. For example, when Alison finds out that ‘Disco’ is sadly dying and phones Jim to let him know what is happening as she knows ‘Disco’ means a lot to the both of them. I found this scene incredibly heart-warming and also touching that they can both put their differences aside.

His N Hers for me showcases Gayle’s ability to portray and analyse people, relationships and their feelings in an honest, thought-provoking way. Gayle is an astonishing writer who can understand human emotion and feelings and translate it into his novel that is easy to understand and relate to. Gayle really is one of my favourite writers (hence why I wrote my Dissertation on him!)  and seems to be pushing the boundaries of the male confessional novel to new and higher places that interests me personally and academically. 

Yes Man- Danny Wallace

Yes Man was first published in 2006 and has become a best-selling film in 2008 starring Jim Carrey. After reading Danny’s book Friends Like These, I decided to invest in Danny’s back catalogue as I loved Friends Like These so much. And this book didn’t disappoint.

I was instantly gripped with the title on the novel ‘One Little Word can change your life’ and set to work reading it. I absolutely love Danny’s direct, honest and yet gripping style of writing that sucks you into the world he has found himself in after meeting a man on a bus who proclaims that he needs to say ‘yes’ more following the breakup of his relationship to his ex girlfriend Hanne.

For example, Danny throughout the novel encounters barriers such as saying ‘yes’ to a double glazing sales company on the phone, even though he already has it, saying ‘yes’ to pamphleteers on the street, credit cards and solicitations on the Internet which make you laugh at loud, be it in the comfort of your house or on the train or in public. However, Danny from saying ‘yes’ seems to further the options on his career and also finds love by meeting Lizzie which makes you cheer him on, yet feel pleased that his challenge is actually working out for him too.

Yes Man came along at a time when I needed a boost personally and has changed my perspective on life. I have also managed to say ‘yes’ to some opportunities that have presented itself onto me. However, Danny Wallace has rapidly become of my favourite authors of all time. Danny has an amazing talent to communicate, analyse and explore different aspects of life that we can all relate to and become a well-respected author, broadcaster and radio presenter (he’s on XFM every Monday to Friday morning!). Apart from that, Danny is an inspiration to me personally and I feel honoured to have met him this June at his book signing and also feel more honoured and humbled to have the opportunity to do my MA dissertation on him over the next two years.