BOOK REVIEW: Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Good Material, in its simplest form, is a twist on the contemporary romantic comedy.

More deeply, it is a character-driven exploration and commentary on traditional gender-based societal standards and how those expectations impact interpersonal relationships and worldviews.

Often described as a British Nora Ephron, author Dolly Alderton is a keen observer of the modern relationship and dating scene. Though fiction, the novel seems both intensely personal and embarrassingly messy, and reads much like a memoir.

It has all the hallmarks of the traditional rom-com: great banter with classic romance tropes like opposites attract and found family. The greatest difference, which readers know upon first opening the novel (and even earlier if they read the back cover blurb) is that this story doesn't start with a meet-cute. It begins with the break-up.

For the majority of the book, we're hearing from Andy, the down-on-his-luck comedic ex-boyfriend who struggles to navigate life after Jen. He's a mess, and at times ridiculous, but he also offers some keen insight into romantic and familial love. The novel concludes with Jen's point of view, a perfect punctuation to the conclusion of both the relationship and the novel, itself.

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Good Material

Dolly Alderton

ISBN: 9780593686959

By Tina Vaughn

ABOUT THE BOOK

Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.

Now he is. . .

Without a home

Waiting for his stand-up career to take off

Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking

Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story…

In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.