Book 08 - High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

I'm still playing catch-up.  Here is another book that I read several months ago.  Although I jotted down a few notes, I never really got around to the write-up until now, so I apologize in advance if anything is inaccurate or fuzzy.

Book 08 - High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

High Fidelity is the story of Rob, a rather self-centered 30-something who owns a used record store in England. Rob runs the shop with Dick, a rather mild-mannered chap who is constantly seeking new and more obscure music, and a rather overbearing bloke named Barry, who is constantly badgering his shopmates into naming their top five albums, TV shows, movies, etc. After an introduction in which Rob lists his top five girlfriend breakups, the actual story begins with his live-in girlfriend Laura breaking up with him.  Rob makes a point that she doesn't even make the top five, although his attitude and actions belie that assertion.

It's no wonder Laura left him.  Rob's been going nowhere for quite sometime.  When Laura met him he was a club DJ, but he stopped spinning records years ago.  He owns his own store, but it is not terribly successful.  A hipster in his own mind, he tends to look down on those whose lives don't revolve around music, and views the domestic nature of the lives of those around him - couples with homes, careers, kids - as something to be avoided.  

After Laura's departure, Rob wallows a bit before hooking up briefly with an American singer.  He then starts stalking Laura and her new boyfriend almost to the point of a restraining order, and pays a visit to each of the top five girlfriends before finally realizing that domesticity is maybe not such a bad thing after all.

As I said above, it's been several months since I read this, so my memory may be fading, but I felt like I never got to know any of the characters in the book.  Perhaps, as a reflection of Rob's personality, the book is all about Rob.  The problem is, Rob is so shallow that there's not that much to know about Rob either.  Still, Rob's musings about life and dating are quite funny, and the inane banter between Rob and his employees is entertaining as well.  Also, there are numerous pop culture references, mostly in the form of the top five lists, to keep a culture junkie like me engaged.