Book Review - Mr Commitment by Mike Gayle

Number of Pages - 322

Publisher - Hodder &; Stoughton

My Review - 8 out of 10

Straight from the bestseller lists in the UK comes a novel "full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations" (The Independent on Sunday), an excursion into the world of a modern male that "delivers its punch lines directly to the heart" (Birmingham Evening Mail). Like Helen Fielding's smash success Bridget Jones and Nick Hornby's classic High Fidelity , Mr. Commitment promises to make a big splash this side of the Atlantic as well.

Benjamin Duffy is a stand-up comic/temp who, like many men in their late twenties, is forced to face the eternal question: "To commit or not to commit?" After four years of biding her time, Benjamin's girlfriend has proposed, issuing an ultimatum that sets Benjamin's head spinning. He knows that Mel's the one for him, but should he swap his stellar record collection and fridge full of beer for dinner parties and trips to IKEA? Maybe if Benjamin could swap "till death do us part" with "renewable on a four-year basis" he'd be happy, but the choice-as far as Mel sees it-is all or nothing. Now or never. Mel or no Mel.

First off, I have to say that I absolutely love Mike Gayle's style of writing and the way he brings his characters together in a serious but funny way.  His chapter headings, for example, are not the normal Chapter One, Chapter Two etc but instead headed up with headings such as ''Anyone See That Lassie Film Last Night?' and 'Because if you are I will be forced to kill you while you're asleep and plead diminished responsibility', which I find so funny but also appropriate to the chapter I am about to read.

At the beginning when we see Mel and Duffy coming to the crossroads of will they won't they, I could really feel the frustration in Mel but also the hesitance of commitment from Duffy.  The way that the story progresses and follows mainly the character of Duffy as he struggles to come to terms with what he should do.

I have to be honest and say that there were a few chapters in the middle where I felt that there could have been more to the story but it soon picked back up again when we come to the far side of the story where we see what Duffy decides to do. 

A great read for all of you who love reading stories like Bridget Jones Diary...  If you would like to see the video review, please see below.



Best wishes

Debs