A Spot of Bother – Mark Haddon

It has been a while since I commented on a book that I’ve read.

That does not mean that I’ve stopped reading. Aku membaca like always, always with a book.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME was the first book by Mark Haddon that I’ve read. Obviously, this is novel number two by Mr Haddon read by me. Apparently, this is only the second adult novel by Mark Haddon, after THE CURIOUS INCIDENT.

The title A SPOT OF BOTHER ialah very related to the first source of worry in this story. George, a 61 year old retiree noticed that he has a spot on his body (x ingat kat ne) and was certain that it was cancer. This little spot really bugged him and drove him up the wall. With his daughter getting married for the second time to a man that George didn’t like, his son being gay and him finding out that his wife is having an affair (the hard way, believe me), life is not easy for George. He made it harder for himself by keeping it all bottled up in his head and taking drastic actions without talking to anyone.

If you read this book, then you’ll understand that George went really crazy just because of a spot and worries about things that he shouldn’t.

The ending turns out to be very beautiful. Like always, everything eventually will turn out fine. Though not in the best possible way that you would prefer but not the end of the world either. His daughter’s new husband turns out to be a good man at heart. George’s son is gay, but your son can be anything and he’s still your son. And George told his wife that he knows about the affair, and she realized at once that although the affair was very exciting for her, in the end, it’s her husband feelings that mattered the most rather that her boyfriend.

A SPOT OF BOTHER makes me think that love, when it first started was very exciting and like everything else it needs working at. When things get boring, you look elsewhere for excitement but when it’s getting late, it’s home that you return to. So why not work at making home an excitement. And please, share your thoughts with someone because two heads can be better than one.