Man and Boy

April 1, 2001
The theme of this alternately wry and maudlin debut from London writer Parsons "love means knowing when to let go" won't make Love Story's mantra obsolete, but this novel shimmers with a sentimentality that could appeal widely to those who enjoyed Segal's romance classic and to their progeny. On the eve of his 30th birthday, Harry Silver blows everything by indulging in a one-night stand with a young assistant on the English TV talk show he produces. When Harry's wife, Gina, discovers his adultery, she jets off immediately to pursue job opportunities in Japan, leaving Harry in temporary custody of their adorable four-year-old son, Pat. Parsons captures the free-floating angst of a man who senses his horizons constricting and the panic of a suddenly single father confronting the issues of child care. Harry's misery is compounded by the subsequent loss of his job; his conviction that he's failed his own loving father, a WWII war hero; and the reluctance of the new woman in his life, an American waitress, to commit emotionally to him. Parsons knows how to pace his pages turn as if in a high wind and he has a flair for pushing emotional buttons, perhaps particularly those of men on the far side of 30 or singledom. Many readers will love this novel; others will decry its obvious calculation, but most will agree that Parson deals in a highly entertaining manner with personal issues of import and that, more often than not, he tells it very true. (Apr.) Forecast: This novel has ridden English bestseller lists for about half a year, with 500,000 copies sold in the U.K. alone. Will it duplicate that success here? It might. Parsons is a media celebrity in England, and British audiences familiar with or curious about his personal life (he received custody of his son after a divorce, and his father was a war hero) boosted sales there. But Sourcebooks is going all out with this title which launches its fiction imprint, Sourcebooks Landmark with a 50,000 first printing and three national tours in 20 cities, as well as 10,000 companion discussion guides. The book is also a Literary Guild Featured Alternate. Most importantly, it's the kind of novel that can soar on good word of mouth which it's going to get, and a lot of it.

July 1, 2002
Novels written in the first person lend themselves especially well to audio, and Parsons's debut—a sort of Kramer vs. Kramer
à la Nick Hornby—is no exception. British narrator Buchanan is amiable and engaging as Harry, a London talk show producer who suffers an early midlife crisis as he approaches 30. When a co-worker offers the opportunity for a one-night stand, Harry impulsively accepts, but regrets it the next morning. Too late—his wife, Gina, finds out and files for divorce, leaving him shattered. She takes a job in Japan, and Harry insists on keeping his young son, Pat, with him until she returns. He struggles to be a good father, fumbling through day-to-day routines and crises. Slowly, father and son form a close bond, and Harry realizes he can handle solo parenting—and then, of course, Gina returns, seeking custody. Buchanan handles the British characters with ease, creating believable character voices; he stumbles only when attempting an American accent for Harry's new Texan girlfriend. The abridgement is smooth, except in one instance, in which a character refers to a scene dropped from the audio version, so the listener doesn't know what the character is referring to. Overall, however, this is an entertaining and moving recording. Based on the Sourcebooks hardcover (Forecasts, Feb. 12, 2001).