About a boy problems risen in the book I got moved by

Books are always written in order to help their readers cope with fears, find friends whose problems are like yours, show the width of human imagination and learn a lesson which will guide you across the rest of your life. About a Boy, the book I am going to put under a spotlight, is of no exception.

Each of Nick Hornby’s characters is a reflection of one of today’s social problem. Marcus is a reflection of unusual kids who cannot find their place in a society; they always wear clothes nobody likes, have a haircut everyone laughs at, and listen to music of old generation or something like that. Fiona, Marcus’ mother, is a type of lonely desperate mothers; it is always sad to watch their hard lives, because it is not always easy not lose your mind when you are alone and have to raise a child, work long hours and even have some problems with emotions. Will is a kind of person who has everything he needs, doesn’t have to deal with any problems like lack of money or homelessness; his life is perfect and he doesn’t care of anyone but him; and all he has is not his achievement; and the biggest thing about people like him is that they are the greatest liars. In the plot we also have some other characters that are unusual like Marcus and alone like Fiona, but I am going to focus on these three people. And especially I want to focus on Marcus and his relationship with Fiona.

Relationships among children and their parents are never easy. And the thing gets worse in the age of emotional instability. So we have Marcus with his twelve years and thoughts of an old man. He doesn’t have childhood every kid should have. He thinks he has to take care of his mother, because she is alone and sad most of the time. There is also Fiona with her mood swings, strange appearance an adult woman cannot have. What family will you see if a little boy behaves like an adult and his mom acts like a teenager with lying on the floor and watching cartoons? The question speaks itself. Some of them will be unusual and strange in school, and at least one of them will try to commit a suicide. We can find such families in every city we come to. And it is a sad reality.

Why am I so interested in that very problem which is raised in About a Boy? I could choose from ‘why is it so bad to tell lies?’, ‘what should I do if nobody wants to talk to me?’ or ‘my life is already perfect, what should I do now?’ The answer is that I know how it is like to live with one parent. Actually, I have both of them. But the point is that I went through all these troubles like parents’ divorce or new people in your family and everything like that, and it is similar to what Marcus had. I am not afraid of writing these things, because I want to share my personal experience. I can totally say I understand Marcus for a hundred per cent. I want to protect my mum from everything. Boys have this fear of losing someone they love when they have already lost a family of two parents. And I still don’t understand why it is so necessary to marry just to split up in several years. While my schooling I had a lot of problems with communication like Marcus had. I like things nobody else likes such as loving education process and being thankful to teachers, appreciating childhood memories like the greatest treasure in the world. I can sing in public like Marcus and see no shame in it. I always want to be good to everyone I meet and make no trouble to anyone just like Marcus.

In fact, I am very blessed to have a chance of reading this book. Everyone I know doesn’t understand About a Boy. ‘The book is good only for English learners but the plot is awful,’- some of them say. But I think every reader can learn his personal lesson while finishing reading it. Speaking about my lesson, now I know that there is at least one person who has a family life similar to mine. It is a fictional character though. When we read last chapters we find Marcus growing. He is changing the way he thinks. He is becoming more confident and experienced. And it is my lesson. I should move on just like Marcus does. Now I realized what I can do with my life experience to prevent different mistakes in my future family life. Strictly speaking, both Marcus’ and my life can be some kind of a proverb for those that are about to get married.

Due to About a Boy by Nick Hornby I coped with a fear of misunderstanding as now I know that at least About a Boy readers can slightly imagine what my life is like. Also, I found a friend in Marcus; we could make friends in a real life, I guess. I cannot totally state that About a Boy is a masterpiece of human imaginative skills, but there is something I liked in a book structure: one chapter telling about Marcus is followed by another chapter about Will’s life. It makes reading more interesting and enthralling. And finally, I learnt a lesson of not being stuck at the same age but move on and choose the way of living like your experience tells you.

My love and thanks to Nick Hornby and Marcus for this opportunity.

Zinaida Ershova 3rd year Student

Russian-British Institute of Management, Chelyabinsk

The Fear Theme in Black Swan Green

Fear. Are there any powers on the planet Earth that could defeat us, break our spirit down, bring us under their will and bind the aspirations and endeavors with the chains of desperation and hopelessness? If you have ever got the thought of your deepest and scariest fear, you should certainly be acquainted with that very slimy feeling that lurks deep inside the soul and rise against your will every time you try to overcome a barrier. It devours you like a swamp full of predatory piranhas