June 24, 2015
Some Goodreads reviewers wrote that this book started strong, but had a weaker and less satisfying second half. I'd have to say that I agree. I was interested in the relationships between the three main characters, but by the end of the book I felt like they were all pathetic...in a realistic, relatable way, but still. I found myself pitying them, but there's a thin line between pitying someone and despising them. I don't think I quite crossed it, though.
The title refers to an album; more specifically, the stripped-down demos of a famous album. Juliet was a break-up album by Tucker Crowe, who abruptly ended his career and hid from the public eye for two decades not long after its release. Crowe still has some fans worldwide, who share their interpretations and theories on Crowe and his music online. I could relate to Duncan, a Crowologist who takes himself very seriously. He's a textbook introvert: obsessed with obscure things, avoiding awkward social situations, feeling his best when he expresses himself in writing. I've never been obsessed with anything to the extent that he is with Tucker Crowe, but I've had people in my life not "get" what I'm into. He's definitely a snob when it comes to music, and many people think of him as being a dweeb, but he's a pretty harmless dweeb, a man-child, really. He's a huge dick for cheating on Annie, though, and pretty self-absorbed. I don't like him, but I get him, even if I find him rather pathetic.
So the album that shares its title with the book sets everything into motion. Being a diehard fan, Duncan is quick to praise the stripped -down version of his old favorites online. Annie, his partner, is kind of a Crowe fan by proxy, and so is able to give a more objective review. Crowe himself sees it and emails her.
Tension has been building between Annie and Duncan, even before his infidelity. She secretly corresponds with Crowe, relishing what Duncan's reaction would be if he knew. This, I can understand. What I don't get is why Annie fell for Tucker herself. There's no chemistry there that I could detect. That's when things started to go downhill.
Tucker is the most pathetic of all. He's a stereotypical ex-rock star, with kids scattered all over whom he barely knows and a history of alcohol abuse. He doesn't drink anymore, and is trying to be a good dad to his youngest, but he still lives off of his exes, not bringing in any income whatsoever. Plus, he reads about himself online (since he saw both Annie and Duncan's reviews of his work), yet he dismisses his remaining fans as being losers. Takes one to know one, asshole! Knowing all of this, Annie still sleeps with him. It's implied that she drops her life in Gooleness, a seaside town in northern England, and goes to Pennsylvania to be with Tucker in the end. She basically goes from one man-child to another. Give me a break!
I wish this book had focused more on that tension in Annie and Duncan's relationship. I almost feel it would have been better if Duncan had learned about Annue's contact with his idol sooner...or, if the person contacting her wasn't Tucker at all. The book started off so strong that the second half was a huge disappointment. I'll give Hornby another go sometime; I'll probably read High Fidelity, his most famous work. Wasn't that made into a movie starring John Cusack? Anyway, I wanted to like this book more than I did, but it's hard to love a book when you don't really like the characters. I guess I crossed that line from pity to contempt after all.
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