Mr. Commitment
A Novel
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- ¥780
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- ¥780
Publisher Description
A bestseller in the UK, Mr. Commitment is an excursion into the world of a modern male that "delivers its punch lines directly to the heart" (Birmingham Evening Mail).
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.
After a lifetime as Mr. Irresponsible, does Benjamin have what it takes to become Mr. Commitment?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
British magazine writer Gayle, author of the U.K. bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, makes his American fiction debut with his second novel, the breezy tale of a young Londoner fearfully contemplating the leap from boyfriend to husband. Aspiring stand-up comic Benjamin Duffy suffers from a typical single-male afflictionDan extreme aversion to marriage. When Mel, his girlfriend of four years, presses him to make the proverbial commitment, Duffy wavers and spends the rest of the book trying to figure out whether he's the marrying kind. It takes a while for the author to establish a good pace and to capitalize on the potential of his comedian-protagonist's entertaining viewpoint, but the book takes off the moment Mel realizes Duffy is not genuinely ready to get married, and they break up. Duffy's ensuing forays into the dating world with "TV's Hottest Totty," an amusingly portrayed television personality named Alexa, bring the plight of today's single male hilariously to life. Duffy's jealous reactions to Mel's new boyfriend are laugh-out-loud funny, and Gayle skillfully captures the on-again, off-again patterns of contemporary relationships. Gayle's hero will undoubtedly be called a male Bridget Jones, and while the novel is not quite as sharp as Helen Fielding's trend-setting tale, it does offer up a winning portrayal of a man who, with humor, humility and a genuine gift for caring, finally grows up. Author tour.
