Good Material
Dolly Alderton
Dolly Alderton
Despite all of this, I have mixed feelings about that novel, and I know it's probably because it became so massive that it bores me a little. Oh God, I’m becoming that kind of person, yes.
Anyway. Precisely because Dolly Alderton’s talent for writing everyday things with humor and brilliance is exceptional, I’d love to highlight other novels she’s written that might not be as well-known.
Specifically, her latest novel Good Material, which, unlike all the others, chooses a male narrator—Andy, a 35-year-old English comedian who has just been dumped by his girlfriend, Jen.
What I like about Dolly, and especially about this book, is that she puts her own twist on the classic romantic comedy story. It’s no longer a novel about a 28-year-old girl who wants to scream her life from the rooftops of London, but rather a story of heartbreak seen from another perspective, or rather, more than one perspective. At first, it tells Andy's story, but then, surprisingly, it also presents his ex-girlfriend Jen's version. This also makes us see the other side and realize how self-centered we can become in a relationship, focusing only on our own pain and ignoring the other person’s.
It’s a very introspective novel that delves into the details of heartbreak but also shows us what it’s like to be single in a culture that seems to be designed for couples, in the times society sets for us, and how human relationships—romantic or not—can change life. The choice of a male protagonist and the fact that the whole story is written as a diary is no accident. As a woman, I was able to delve into the feelings and vulnerabilities that a man also has in a breakup. And those vulnerabilities range from taking pictures every day to see how his baldness is evolving, to feeling miserable visiting all his friends with small children while he remains single. As she says, "I discovered that men and women are similar in how we feel heartbreak."
If there’s anything positive in any breakup, it’s that you get a free pass to indulge in lamenting what’s been left behind. This book takes you into how Andy uses his memories, almost as a form of therapy. Does externalizing personal pain help us deal with it better? I still don’t know, but because of it, many of us can feel more connected to what we’re feeling.
Note
“You don't let go once. That's your first mistake. You say goodbye over a lifetime. You might not have thought about her for ten years, then you'll hear a song or you'll walk past somewhere you once went together - something will come to the surface that you'd totally forgotten about. And you say another goodbye. You have to be prepared to let go and let go and let go a thousand times.”