I’ve read High Fidelity, seen the movie, and tend  to watch Channel Ten’s annual showing of About a Boy, which, I hope, makes me qualified to review Nick Hornby’s newest book – Juliet, Naked. This latest offering runs in much the same vein as his other work; it centres on a dysfunctional, middle age, British couple – the man emotionally stunted and obsessive, the woman miserable but resigned to her unhappiness. The catalyst that changes their lives is the release of a new album – Juliet, Naked. The book looks at themes of love, relationships, parenthood, stardom and mortality. Hornby’s comedic writing style hasn’t changed over the years, successfully and light-heartedly depicting the anxiety and self loathing felt by his characters. 

On its own, this book is okay. Some clever observations are made and the characters are well-developed. The problem I had (and I believe others will have too), is that I couldn’t stop thinking of it as a dressed down version of High Fidelity. There are so many similarities and, in the end, High Fidelity’s the better book. And this is the main problem with Juliet, Naked – it doesn’t offer anything new. So if you’re about to read High Fidelity for the hundredth time it might be worth stealing a glimpse at Juliet, Naked – but those of you who are Hornby virgins should go find a copy of High Fidelity instead.

- Gunter