GOOD MATERIAL

I absolutely loved this hilarious and heartbreaking novel, the portrait of a break up between a mid-30s couple in contemporary London. As Andy tries to recover from his relationship with Jen, he obsesses over what went wrong, while dieting, rebounding and occasionally drinking himself through his grief, insecurity and confusion. But, since Andy is a stand up comic, these episodes are frequently laugh out loud funny, or at the very least cringingly relatable. As a witty, warm and deeply human (if unreliable) narrator, Andy is everyone who has muddled through the messiness of adulting: it isn’t always pretty, but laughter is often the best cure for a broken heart.

Good Material is the literal opposite of a meet-cute, but is somehow SO cute, as it turns the typical rom com structure on its head. If the classic break up novel High Fidelity by Nick Hornby and the movie Funny People had a book baby, it would be this novel, and I mean that in the best possible way! Refreshingly, Good Material is a novel that elevates female empowerment and insight, but written mostly from a man’s point of view. The story is just as Andy’s stand up routine is described: “painful, truthful and f*cking funny.” I already miss these characters - they all seemed real enough to exist IRL, and I think they’d provide a great discussion for book clubs. I devoured this novel in a weekend! Just loved it.

It’s Valentine’s Week, so I couldn’t resist making some heart shaped treats for this book about love and all its complicated realness. These are @sallysbakeblog ’s heart shaped pink party donuts, and why yes I bought a new donut pan for this one. They are so cute and easy to make, even though they are definitely not on Andy’s terrible carb free diet.