A long way down

This article describes the book A Long Way Down . For the film of the same name, see A Long Way Down (film) .

A Long Way Down is a black and humorous novel by the British writer Nick Hornby from 2005. The German first edition was published in 2005 in a translation by Clara Drechsler and Harald Hellmann by Kiepenheuer & Witsch . Droemer Knaur published a paperback edition the following year .

The film adaptation of the novel of the same name by director Pascal Chaumeil premiered in February 2014 at the 64th Berlinale . The lead roles are played by Pierce Brosnan as Martin Sharp , Toni Collette as Maureen , Imogen Poots as Jess and Aaron Paul as JJ

The four protagonists Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ encounter each other while attempting suicide on New Year's Eve on the roof of a London skyscraper and promise to postpone their suicide until Valentine's Day and to look after each other. In addition to suicide, the novel addresses loneliness , depression and group dynamics , the plot is shaped by the diversity of the four characters.

content

1st chapter

The worn-out talk show host Martin Sharp, the lonely housewife Maureen (51), the unsuccessful rock musician JJ (31) and the difficult-to-educate Jess Crichton (18) don't have much in common, apart from the fact that all four of them from the same skyscraper on New Year's Eve (Topper's House ) want to jump. The unexpected encounter between the four people causes their suicide plan to fail. After sharing their life stories, they decide to wait until Valentine's Day to commit suicide and take care of each other in the meantime. This creates a strange relationship between four unhappy and very different people.

Part 2

The next morning, all the newspapers said that Jess was supposed to have slept with Martin. The press got this false information from Jess's ex-boyfriend Chas. Her father confronts Jess. This is an embarrassing matter for him as he holds a public office as junior education minister. Fearing that her father will find out about her suicidal intentions, she affirms this false information from the newspaper.

The next issue reports on a suicide pact between Martin and Jess. Jess's father demands clarification from Martin. This protests that he has not slept with Jess. After the conversation, Jess's father instructs Martin to take care of Jess. Martin even gets some money for this. After another article, JJ is visited by a reporter. She wants to know from him why the four decided not to jump from the skyscraper. JJ doesn't want to talk about that first, though.

Later, Jess calls Maureen and, based on the newspaper headlines, decides to hold an emergency meeting with Maureen. JJ cleanses Maureen's house and declares that he does not have a fatal disease. Jess suggests turning the suicide headline into a big story. She has the idea of ​​reporting to the press about an angelic apparition. However, the other three don't think much of it and try to talk her out of it. The next morning they find out that Jess must have spoken to a reporter about the angel story. In an interview, Jess tells reporter Linda that the angel looked like Matt Damon . Jess has to promise the reporter that she will also be allowed to interview the other three victims. Although they don't approve of what Jess did, all four meet with Linda for an interview. Linda uses this conversation to defame Martin in her article. Martin's boss at the television station FeetUp TV then dismisses him initially. But with his promise to win the other three for his show, he gets another chance. The show was so catastrophic that all four were thrown out and Martin finally lost his job. On another talk show, Jess explains that the angel apparition was a lie to make money, whereupon journalists no longer want to know anything about them.

Now that they have a lot of time, they decide to find out more about suicide. However, every time there is an argument, JJ says they all need a vacation. Martin, Jess and JJ help Maureen organize care for their disabled son Matty during their vacation. A week later they are on the plane to Tenerife. On the second day of the trip, Jess sees a girl who at first glance looks a lot like her missing sister Jen. The girl feels annoyed by Jess, however, and the two get into an argument. Out of frustration, Jess gets drunk and is later picked up by the police and taken to the hotel. She claims that Maureen and Martin are her parents. Then Martin angrily moves out of the hotel. JJ meets a girl who knows his old band and spends the night with her. During his absence from the three others, Martin worries about his life. He is now of the opinion that not he, but others are to blame for his misery. Jess wants to talk to him, but Martin blocks. In the taxi to the airport, Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ talk about their vacation experiences and plan their meeting on Valentine's Day.

The meeting point is at 8 p.m. on the roof of Topper's House. During the conversation, they discover a young man who is about to throw himself off the roof. Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ want to stop him, but at the same moment the man drops into the depths.

3rd part

After the suicide experience at Topper's House, Martin, JJ, Maureen and Jess go home and meet again at Starbucks the following afternoon. Martin tells the three of them something about a newspaper article in which a suicidologist reports on suicide. The suicidologist expressed the opinion that the crisis lasted ninety days and that some things would change afterwards. So they agree to wait until March 31 at least before a possible suicide.

Maureen and Jess decide to visit Martin's ex-wife, Cindy, to bring the two back together. Cindy Sharp lives on Torley Heath with her children and her new partner Paul, who is blind. Cindy explains to the two that Martin made a lot of mistakes, did not take care of the children and that she does not want him back.

Jess organizes a meeting in the basement of the cafe. She invites all relatives of the four, a total of 16 people. But it doesn't go the way she imagines. Jess and her parents yell at each other because their mother claims she stole her sister Jen's earrings. JJ and a former bandmate leave the cafe to fight, and Martin takes on one of Matty's grooms who thinks he is flirting with his ex-girlfriend. Maureen is the only one of the four who is now still present. She is talking to Jess's parents. They talk about the story with the earrings, and Maureen explains that she doesn't believe Jess stole the earrings. She is of the opinion that Jen came back and picked her up. Carers, Sean and Stephen, help Maureen bring Matty home. On the way home, Sean asks her if she would like to take part in a quiz game. Since she accepts, they take Matty to the nursing home a short time later and then drive to the pub where the game is taking place. There an older man from her team offers her a job in a newsagent.

When Jess returns home from her little trip to London Bridge, where she is now having an affair, her mother apologizes to her and says that she has seen what happened to the earrings. Jess accepts her apology.

Maureen, JJ and Martin have now reoriented their careers. Martin is now a tutor and wants to build a new life. JJ has become a street musician and is happy to be making music again, and Maureen is now a regular at the newsagents.

The ninety days are drawing to a close. They meet on March 31st in the pub across from Topper's House. They decide to go to the roof together. Up there, looking at the London skyline, they realize how bad it would be for their friends and family if they killed themselves. Ultimately, they agree to postpone any suicide for another six months.

characters

Characterization and development of JJ

JJ, an American, came to London a few years ago because his then girlfriend Lizzie had moved to London. For Lizzie he also gave up his band ("Big Yellow"). The band and making music were very important to JJ. The dream of a life as a rock star still lives on in him. However, he now makes his living delivering pizza. He is very dissatisfied with this situation.

JJ lives in the world of music. He compares people, situations and himself with bands or individual musicians, for example on page 72 [...] then I started to hum In Between Days by The Cure, which seemed more appropriate to me [...]

JJ also compares his own suicidal intentions with those of famous musicians. And in the group of the four suicide candidates he sees a band and gives it a name: Topper's House Four .

JJ's thoughts about the other members of the group are often arrogant. Although he hasn't done too much himself, it often seems that he thinks he's something better. It is amazing that he gets along best with the shy and prudish Maureen. He tries to help her and has many conversations with her. It is important to him to get others to show respect for Maureen. So he urges Jess to apologize for her choice of words. It is also JJ who initiates a vacation for Maureen. But he disgusts that himself, and he quickly distances himself. He would rather get his own life under control, have a real job and possibly be successful again with music.

When he reunites with his ex-girlfriend Lizzie and his best friend Ed, who traveled from the USA especially, he seems more mature than at the beginning of the story. He realizes how he got into this situation. Lizzie and Ed want to help him and buy him a guitar, harmonica, and a neck rack so JJ can make music again. JJ realizes he has to start making music again. He starts a life as a street musician and finds that it fulfills him.

Characterization and evolution of Maureen

Maureen is 51 years old and the single mother of her physically and mentally disabled son Matty, to whom she devotes her life almost without exception. Before Matty was born, she was employed and very sociable. This changed suddenly, however, because in order to be able to look after her son full-time, she had to change her entire life and forego almost everything, including a job.

This circumstance meant that both inevitably have to live in poor conditions. If it were up to her, she would like to socialize again. Maureen wants nothing so much as to pursue a job or to experience things worth living again, such as B. Travel. Maureen is separating herself more and more from the outside world and lives lonely and secluded with Matty in a small apartment. Time has passed her by. It often seems very unfamiliar. She speaks of cell phones as “these newfangled pocket phones”.

The desperation and excessive demands of this woman in the role of mother for her disabled son for almost 20 years can be clearly seen. On the one hand she would like to throw off this burden and therefore plays with thoughts of suicide, on the other hand she is a dutiful mother who sees the meaning of her existence in the care of her completely dependent son.

The subject of suicide

All four protagonists have their own story, but the same conception of life: it is pointless and there seems to be no way out of their problems. Everyone decides for himself on New Year's Eve to take his own life. But none of them jump. Are they just afraid to jump or do they realize that there is no point in killing yourself?

The trigger for suicidal thoughts in Jess is that her boyfriend has left her. Later you learn from Jess that her sister has disappeared and that she takes more with her than she shows in front of the others. She has already tried a lot to find her, but everything has failed. Her sister may have been run off, kidnapped, or already dead. Jess is plagued by this uncertainty. And now she is leaving again a person she loves or has loved: Chas.

Martin is known to the public for his TV moderation on breakfast television. He leads a party life, often gets drunk in pubs, cheats, and sleeps with a minor, which is why he ends up behind bars. He loses his wife and with her his two daughters. He loses his positive image in public through negative media reports. After his imprisonment, he has to rely on hosting an insignificant talk show. So pretty much everything goes wrong with Martin that you can imagine.

Maureen has a disabled son. He is a serious nursing case that she has to take care of day and night. She is overwhelmed with it in every way and sees no meaning in either her son's life or her own. Maureen thinks it's something of a punishment for her. She slept (once) with a man and this resulted in her illegitimate, disabled child. She makes serious accusations and cannot cope with it.

JJ is American. He was abandoned by his girlfriend for another man. His band, which is the purpose of his life for him, is absolutely unsuccessful. Now he works as a pizza delivery boy, which he doesn't like at all. He's an unsuccessful musician, but from his point of view that's pretty much the worst for an artist. He fakes a fatal disease, which is allegedly called CCR , to the others . It's just the initials of a band that he likes. JJ thinks his problems aren't nearly as big as everyone else's.

As the story progresses, everyone tries to help each other, e.g. B. They go to Tenerife together to take a break; Maureen and Jess drive to Martin's ex-wife and their children to get them to return to Martin. None of the four seek medical or professional help. Their only “therapy” is mutual pronunciation and help: in the end none of them jump.

stylistics

Narrative perspective

The novel is told in first- person form from the perspectives of the four protagonists . The perspective changes chapter by chapter, each chapter is preceded by the name of the narrator. There is no authorial level.

The plot gains flow because each section ties in with the previous one. The narrated plot partially overlaps so that it is presented from several perspectives. Essentially, however, the plot progresses, so the entire plot is not told four times.

The linguistic expression of the different perspectives is also different. Hornby lets the narrators appear on their different language levels - from the eloquent TV presenter Martin to the honest and insecure Maureen to the uninhibited mouth of Jess, whose linguistic inability is openly portrayed.

Narrative style of Jess

What is very noticeable about the Jess chapters is that they reproduce the verbatim speech of the others in connection with scenes, but not in the form of verbatim speech with quotation marks.

And then, so what? And me, well.

Instead of quotation marks, she uses commas to make it clear that the speech is verbatim. She has difficulties with a linguistically appropriate representation as a narrator, which is due to her lack of education. But she recognizes this herself and also informs the reader about it:

I always do that when I talk about something someone else said. I always like that, so I say like that, and then you like that, like ... I'm not that good at quotes and what do I know.

Also, Jess often uses slang expressions. Her language makes it clear that she is immature. She often comes across as a child who wants to show that she is right. Jess uses even more curse words than JJ while speaking.

... something like puke, asshole, bitch, shit, fuck, wanker.

Jess likes to express herself visually, as it is sometimes difficult for her to verbalize her thoughts in an understandable manner. Your pictures or comparisons then appear just as helpless.

... unless one of us went and invented a time machine or prevented Al-Qaeda from attacking England or something.

Her linguistic behavior makes it clear that Jess lacks tact, consideration and style - especially when talking to the insecure and shy Maureen.

... without me asking if someone has ever fucked her from behind ...

reception

Reviews

Nick Hornby has been criticized in various reviews for treating the serious subjects of depression and suicide in his relaxed, black-humored way. However, it is credited to him that he is serious about these topics and does not take them up out of sheer showmanship.

In its 2005 review of the book, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said that Hornby was unable to “separate the characters and voices properly”. One cannot get rid of the suspicion that Hornby is only using his figures as a playing mass without really being interested in them.

He already takes up depression and suicide in his other books, for example in Fiona in About a Boy , who tries to commit suicide because she thinks she cannot go on with her depression.

Adaptation

Audio book

A Long Way Down was published in 2005 as an audio book by Der Hörverlag . The recording includes 4 CDs with a total running time of 320 minutes. Each character is read by a different speaker. Stefan Kaminski speaks JJ, Hille Darjes plays Maureen, Julia Hummer plays Jess and Andreas Petri takes over the part from Martin.

"The reading, which has been carefully shortened to around two thirds of the length of the novel, preserves the overall character of the story, but Hornby readers still miss some good passages on the CDs."

- DRadio

Movie

The novel was filmed in 2014 under the same title . The leading roles are played by Pierce Brosnan (Martin Sharp), Imogen Poots (Jess Crichton), Toni Collette (Maureen) and Aaron Paul (JJ). Sam Neill plays Jess' father.

theatre

A theatrical version was premiered on July 21, 2019 as part of the Bad Hersfeld Festival . In the production by Christian Nickel , Karsten Speck , Helena Sigal, Peter Englert , Mick Rießbeck and Natascha Hirthe took on the respective roles.

Others

Topper's House is said to be the high-rise Archway Tower above the Archway tube station in north London.

Web links

• Reviews on Poetry World
• Review in literary criticism with detailed table of contents
• Review notes on Perlentaucher

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A Long Way Down Berlinale.de
2. ^ Literary criticism - The Suicide Club in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, August 16, 2005. Accessed September 29, 2013.
3. ↑ Review on dradio.de
4. ↑ https://www.hersfelder-zeitung.de/bad-hersfeld/festspiele-long-down-feierte-premiere-eichhof-12842915.html