Reread: High Fidelity
I love High Fidelity. I love the book and I love the movie. The movie I saw for the first time sometime in high school when it was on Comedy Central. Perfectly casted with John Cusack as the lead (I mean come on, this is totally who you picture Lloyd Dobler growing up to be.). And when I found out it was a novel as well, I read it over and over.
And I’m still reading it. And the older I get, the more I appreciate it’s brilliance. When I was in High School, I thought I got this book. When I was in college, I realized how sad my interpretation was and thought I really got it then. And reading it now in my late 20s I realize I’m appreciating it even more, although I am no longer under the delusion that now I “really get it.”
High Fidelity (and really everything I’ve read by Nick Hornsby) takes the typical Young Adult novel and twists it and molds it into something for those of us in our late 20s and early 30s (which seems more like “Young Adult” than being in your teens, but what do I know). There’s no more blasting Peter Gabriel outside your window, but there’s still this endless string of mix tapes. We’ve grown, but not too much. We’re maturely immature.
High Fidelity is my go-to book. Having a bad day? Read some High Fidelity. Vacation? High Fidelity? Questioning my hopeless-romantic streak? High Fidelity. It’s always been there for me when I’ve needed it. It’s an easy and quick read for whenever you’re just wanting to zone out for a bit.
If you haven’t read it, you should fix that. Or at least watch the movie, it’s actually pretty awesome too.
Great book. Also great: the movie soundtrack. Check that out!
Great post! I’ve read High Fidelity more than any other book, it’s such a wonderful insight into men and their music, and it’s one of the few times where I’ve enjoyed a film of the book; they normally don’t pass muster for me but Rob just HAD to be played by Cusack didn’t he?. It works so well.