GOOD MATERIAL
BY DOLLY ALDERTON
343 pages
‘Good Material’ is Dolly Alderton’s second novel, after ‘Ghosts’, and she has stolen our hearts yet again with a story of a ‘break-up’ wrapped up in gentle humour, touching moments about heartache and a true and deeper understanding of love.
“Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can’t work out why she stopped.
Now he is …
1. Without a home
2. Waiting for his stand-up career to take off
3. Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn’t looking”
‘Good Material’ tells the story of an unexpected break-up of a well established 30something couple, told to us from the perspective of Andy who is trying to process the how, the why and the what if he was able to win her back. Written loosely as journal entries - the days, weeks and months unfold before us sharing Andy's devastation and how he gradually attempts to come to terms with ‘the break up’. As readers we can all relate to the friends who rally round to form ‘WhatsApp - let’s help Andy’ groups. We also recognise the switch to anger, resentment and then a concerted effort for reinvention of a better self. A new diet and new fitness regime, experimenting with a dating app - and maybe even a new personal trainer.
Full of warmth and humour the Den loved listening to this novel as an audiobook because the writing is effortless and as a reader we all enjoy the chatty style of Alderton’s storytelling. There are also plenty of humorous twists and entertaining cameo scenes that lighten the pain of a 'break up'. A bit like life!
Other books by Dolly Alderton in the Den's library include 'Ghosts' and her recent 'Dear Dolly - on love, life and friendship'.