High Fidelity and Its Excellent Storytelling

        It is rather uncommon that a book on a school summer- reading list has a review from The New Yorker on the front cover that says,"'[i]t is rare that a book so hilarious is also so sharp about sex and manliness, memory and music.'" How can a book that deals with such promiscuous topics make its way onto my A.P. English list? There must be some level of sophistication, I thought. But how can an author construct a serious novel with such   licentious fundamentals? And so, my curiosity got the best of me, and I found myself making my way to the register with this anomalous book in hand.   
        Notwithstanding my being on the idyllic beaches of Spain with countless opportunities and my new-found foreign friends, I was irrationally engaged in completing Nick Hornby's High Fidelity. The novel delves into the plethora of romantic situations, heartbreaks and disappointments, and other important facets of our daily lives that are so intoxicating as to transport me from Cádiz, Spain to the streets of London, the setting of the novel. Hornby, with his stylistic nuances, successfully employs the literary mechanisms that are essential to great storytelling. Rob, the novel's narrator, uses impeccable word choice with his informal witticisms and satirical remarks, constructs a captivating and complex plot with appropriate character development, and investigates the intricacies of human nature that are stimulating and intriguing. The confluence of these literary devices ultimately constitutes a modern literary masterpiece that embodies the essence of excellent storytelling. 

         Throughout the novel, Rob does not season his story with intricate sentences and words, but his language is consistently informal and clear. He cleverly weaves f-bombs and wisecracks into the fabric of his story. This contemporary flair adds to the novel by creating an element of stream of consciousness; rather than meticulously fabricating a sentence based on the perfect word choice and remaining politically correct, Rob focuses more on what he has to say, rather than how he says it. His lack of care in word selection is not a sign of a dilettante storyteller, but it is inherently valuable because his informal approach adds a layer of authenticity. His word choice allows the audience to feel as though there is no facade they need to break down, but rather his words and story are directly representative of his thoughts. This connection between the teller and the audience is fundamentally imperative in the development of a story because it creates a sense of unity between the two. As an example of his word choice, Rob recounts the following on his lonely birthday that is spent watching movies and eating kettle chips: "Sounds like the sort of birthday a brand-new thirty-six-year-old should have. (Actually, it is the only sort of birthday a brand-new thirty-six-year old could have--the sort of thirty-six year-old-with no wife, family, girlfriend, or money, anyway. Kettle Chips! F-off!" Further, on a more basic level, his informal language and perpetual swearing heightens the humor in the story, once again enhancing Rob's storytelling.  

            Additionally, the structure and development of the plot unveil Rob's expertise as a narrator. Rob's story has taken a banal topic such as romance and has added an original and spunky twist. One of the key subtleties between High Fidelity and other stories regarding romance is that Rob's plot fully encompasses the whole picture, both the good and the ugly. The mere fact that he expertly includes the inexplicable nuances in emotions and actions that the characters feel and commit clearly exposes Rob's mastery of the art of storytelling. For example,  NOT FINISHED WITH THIS PARAGRAPH. Further, because the audience gets a holistic history of Rob and his previous, fruitless relationships and is the listeners to his self-deprecating remarks, the audience automatically sympathizes for Rob and roots for him from the beginning. This investment from the audience is a sign of great storytelling.

           Although it is easy to discredit the story as a serious literary work due to its casual language, the underlying ideas and plot are thought-provoking and serious; this novel ultimately becomes more dynamic and impressive with the amalgam of casual prose and thoughtful meanings. Rob often intertwines passages that say a lot about humanity as a whole with his playful jargon. For example, Rob explores the relationship between the two men who work for him, Barry and Dick, after Dick finally has a date. Rob thinks, "and why does it bother Barry so much that Dick is seeing someone? Because he doesn't want a smile from a man with buckteeth and an anorak in the cinema queue, that's why; he's worried about how his life is turning out, and he's lonely, and lonely people are the bitterest of them all." This passage evokes emotion among the audience as Rob is actually honing in on key topics about society: insecurity and loneliness. However, Rob's themes are not necessarily explicitly expounded in passages such as the previous one, but are often products of his actions. For example, Rob often draws upon his previous relationships and his past-life and connects them to his current life. He often prescribes his current behaviors as the consequences of the previous events in his life. Rob is directly demonstrating that the essence of who humans are is simply the gathering of past experiences. Scenarios such as this one clearly leaves the audience thinking deeper about humanity, a sign that this book does, in fact, have depth and is thought-provoking. 
     And so, after reading this novel, I realized exactly why it was on my AP reading list. That New Yorker review on the front cover was right; the book masters the impossible as it effortlessly combines humorous and intellectual elements into the enticing plot. 


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High Fidelity and Wuthering Heights and Their Successful Storytelling

     Nick Hornby's High Fidelity and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights both use the notion of love as their main plot; however, there is a 200 year discrepancy between each setting. Nonetheless, both novels delve into the plethora of romantic situations, heartbreaks and disappointments, and other important facets of our daily lives. Both authors, although stylistically different, successfully employ the literary mechanisms that are essential for great storytelling. Rob, the narrator of High Fidelity, often makes satirical,informal snarls and comical references, develops a complex and captivating plot, and investigates the intricacies of human nature, ultimately crafting an excellent story. The confluence of Mr. Lockwood's, the narrator of Wuthering Heights, sophisticated language, dynamic structure, and intoxicating story-line enhances the novel and serves as a model for subsequent literary works.
      In Hornby's High Fidelity, Rob cleverly weaves f-bombs and wisecracks into the fabric of his story. This contemporary flair adds to the novel by creating an element of stream of consciousness; rather than meticulously fabricating a sentence based on the perfect word choice, Rob focuses more on what he has to say, rather than how he says it. His lack of care in word selection is not a sign of a dilettante storyteller, but it is inherently valuable because his informal approach adds a layer of authenticity. His word choice allows the audience to feel as though there is no facade they need to break down, but rather his words and story are directly representative of his thoughts. This connection between the teller and the audience is fundamentally imperative in the development of a story because it creates a sense of unity between the two. As an example of his word choice, Rob recounts the following on his lonely birthday that is spent watching movies and eating kettle chips: "Sounds like the sort of birthday a brand-new thirty-six-year-old should have. (Actually, it is the only sort of birthday a brand-new thirty-six-year old could have--the sort of thirty-six year-old-with no wife, family, girlfriend, or money, anyway. Kettle Chips! F-off!"
        Although it is easy to discredit the story as a serious literary work due to its casual language, the underlying ideas and plot are thought-provoking and serious; this novel ultimately becomes more dynamic and impressive with the amalgam of casual prose and thoughtful meanings. Rob often intertwines passages that say a lot about humanity as a whole with his playful jargon. For example, Rob explores the relationship between the two men who work for him, Barry and Dick, after Dick finally has a date. Rob thinks, "and why does it bother Barry so much that Dick is seeing someone? Because he doesn't want a smile from a man with buckteeth and an anorak in the cinema queue, that's why; he's worried about how his life is turning out, and he's lonely, and lonely people are the bitterest of them all." This passage evokes emotion among the audience as Rob is actually honing in on key topics about society: insecurity and loneliness. Further, the structure and development of his plot both unveil Rob's greater understanding of successful storytelling. Because the audience gets a holistic history of Rob and his previous, fruitless relationships and is the listeners to his self-deprecating remarks, the audience automatically sympathizes for Rob and roots for him from the beginning. This investment from the audience is a sign of great storytelling.
      Although completely different from High Fidelity, Bronte's Wuthering Heights also exemplifies expert storytelling. Apart from its intoxicating and twisting plot that explores the ideas of love, charity, and greed, Wuthering Heights entices the audience as it diverts from the norm because there are, in a sense, two different narrators. Its composition is constituted of a story within a story. For almost the entirety of the book, Mr. Lockwood, the story's main narrator, joins the audience in listening as Mrs. Dean, a housemaid also known as "Nelly", takes the role as the novel's teller. This structural nuance bonds the audience and Mr. Lockwood together as they embark on Mrs. Dean's complicated stories united, ultimately forcing the audience to feel part of the book because they share a similar role with one of the characters. As evidence of the full absorption into the story, the audience--and Mr. Lockwood--is periodically thrusted out of Mrs. Dean's story with her interruptions that she is tired and needs to go to sleep, or that she will continue the story the next time. With these occasional disturbances, the audience, as well as Mr. Lockwood, find themselves surprised at how immersed in the story they are. A further basic structural implication is that the audience is told the curious and bizarre outcome of the story in the very beginning, and then the happenings that spurred this result are later revealed. This method of teasing is very clever because the audience is thirsty for the background information and story from the get-go. The ending strengthens the story as the audience has quenched its thirst and relates the ending to the the beginning of the book. Because the ending runs parallel with the beginning, the audience is satisfied at how it all fits together perfectly.

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My Top 6 Most Memorable Books

1. The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman- This book exposed me to the realities of the future and underscored the likeliness of the United States's supremacy becoming obsolete. The quantity of detailed evidence that supported his argument slapped me across the face and has completely changed how I look at the world; I no longer look through an Americentric window.

2. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque- While many books up to that point in time romanticized war, this book has shifted the paradigm ever since. With its grim depictions and gruesome scenes, All Quiet on the Western Front is the book from which my pacifism stems. It was the book that served as the launch pad for my interests in other anti-war novels such as Regeneration by Pat Barker.

3. The Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger- Many of my friends found this book "pointless" and repetitive, but I found it to be captivating and a true exploration of human nature and its relation to society. I think about The Catcher in the Rye on a daily basis, and I often find myself self-reflecting, wondering if I, too, am a "phony." Holden Caulfield challenges conventional acceptances, and while reading the book, I found that our views often run parallel about society and its phoniness. I really did.

4. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving- When I realized that the setting was Exeter, New Hampshire, I automatically had a connection to the story because Exeter is where I spent many holidays and happenings when I was younger. I think this automatic recognition of location transported the plot, setting, and characters from fabrications of my imagination to realistic truths in my mind. I remember being moved by Owen, a boy who is bizarre, complex, charming, and captivating all at the same time.

5. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe- The story haunted me with the idea that success and wealth is not above the law, and that justice prevails. This book has had a lasting impression on me because it combined many topics into one novel: racism, politics, affluence and social divisions, etc.

6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- A classic that I have read 4 times, the plot interests me every time. The book presents themes that are typically seen as banal in an original and entertaining manner. It  creates a suspense with the multi-layered plot and left me speechless at the end of it. In Seventh grade, I dubbed it as my favorite book of all time.

Nick Hornby's High Fidelity

When I was an amateur reader (the type that shops in the "Young Adult" section at Barnes&Noble), I remember complaining about the dryness of some book I was attempting to read at the time. You know, the type of book that makes you pat yourself on the back for completing a page. I remember my mother saying, "Leah, give the book thirty pages before you complain. It usually takes a little bit to really get into it." So, I stuck it out, and in the end, I really enjoyed the book. However, far too many books take a while to really "get into," as my mother would say. There have been countless amount of books that take me years--literally, years--to read those first thirty pages. I recently went through a period in which every novel I picked up didn't have the "wow" factor I was looking for; none of which had enthralling first thirty pages or intoxicating plots.

Thankfully, Nick Hornby's High Fidelity has broken my rut of mediocracy. I did not have to wait thirty pages to become interested, and the story-line did not fall short of captivating. The main character, Rob, uses charming wit to give the story a satirical flair, while also fashioning a rather serious dimension to the plot. This tasteful amalgam of humor and thoughtfulness creates an enticing and enjoyable story. Moreover, Rob also explores the plethora of self-deprecating heartbreaks and scenarios, often lightening these melancholic happenings with wise-cracks and f-bombs. However, Rob uses the plot of break-ups as his springboard into the investigation of shared human characteristics, including our need for closure, our ability to let bad moods dictate our logic, and our obsession with past experiences. I often found myself chuckling or gasping at the prevalence of Rob's and my common experiences, actually picturing myself doing the exact thing he just did.  This level of realistic depiction transports the novel from a meager "great" to an"excellent."

For example, Rob meets two people he knew growing up who ended up becoming high-school sweethearts. They simultaneously give him the most banal advice regarding relationships, and after a stream of painfully mundane and trite statements, Rob writes the following:
           'The trouble with young people today is...' No. Just Kidding. But they're...evangelical about what
            they have, as if I've come up from north London to arrest them for being monogamous. I haven't,
            but they're right in thinking that it's a crime where I come from: it's against the law because we're
            all cynics and romantics, sometimes simultaneously and marriage, with its cliches and its steady
            low-watt glow, is as unwelcome to us as garlic is to a vampire (179).
This passage clearly exemplifies Rob's humorous and sarcastic personality, yet it does hold significance in the exploration of human nature.

I think High Fidelity truly encompasses all of the essential facets that outstanding storytelling has. Rob does not try to flower his story by weaving complex words through every sentence. The blunt remarks and perfect one-liners keep the story interesting. While stories that do include swear words or do not have proper grammar can ultimately be seen as a farce and not serious, at the end of the novel, I really felt that I learned something. This story made me self-reflect and even changed my usually unwavering views from the moment I opened the first page, to the very last word.