Good Material is a novel by British author Dolly Alderton that takes the classic framework of the romantic comedy and turns it on its head. Instead of a meet cute, the novel begins with a breakup: Andy has just been dumped by Jen, the love of his life, and he’s not handling it well. At thirty-five, you’d think he’d be an old hand at breakups, but the problem is, the world looks a lot different now than the last time one of his relationships ended. All of his friends seem to have grown up during the five years he spent with Jen—they all have babies and in-laws and early morning meetings—and while they may have an extra room for him to crash in, they don’t have time for an all-nighter at the pub anymore. And the worst part is, he can’t even throw himself into his work because his popularity as a stand-up comedian is at an all-time low. There’s nothing for Andy to do but face this breakup head on, and so, hilariously ill-equipped, Andy fumbles though the classic stages of heartbreak. He obsesses over Jen’s Instagram, day drinks, hires a personal trainer, rents a house boat (and quickly regrets the decision), tries dating someone new, reads his first-ever self-help book… and along the way, he learns about himself, his relationships, and the woman he lost.
Laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly tender, Good Material perfectly captures the ups and downs of heartbreak. I loved reading Andy’s perspective; romantic comedies usually focus on the female point of view, and it was nice to see from the other side for a bit. In the acknowledgments, Alderton mentions how she spent hours interviewing her male friends to get Andy’s narration just right (she got the idea from Nora Ephron interviewing Rob Reiner as research for her films), and it definitely paid off—Andy’s authenticity is palpable. He’s both endearing and exasperating, thoughtful and clueless, and above all, endlessly relatable. Although the main focus of the novel is Andy’s relationship with Jen, the other, non-romantic relationships that fill out the novel are what most stood out to me. Andy’s friendship with his best mate Avi, his fledgeling companionship with his landlord Morris, and his close bond with his mom all are rendered so beautifully by Alderton. She gets the details just right, and so many moments brought me close to tears. I devoured this book, and loved every minute—Good Material is a gem.
I’d recommend this book to…
- Anyone interested in the limbo between heartbreak and moving on… it’s similar in theme to the movie When Harry Met Sally…
- Anyone who loves a male narrator obsessed with love… it’s similar in tone to High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
- Anyone who wants a chatty, fun, yet deeply insightful book… it’s similar in style to Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
