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adds: “I had an absent father. Fathers haven’t played a
big role in my books yet; maybe there’s a void where a
father should be.” He laughs nervously, then moves the
conversation on to how the media encroaches on topics
formerly only tackled by writers.
Hornby has said that he is tired of men being portrayed
as morons by the media and wants to “redress
the balance.” He argues: “The first two books couldn’t
have been written 25 years ago. Men writing about how
they feel would not have been tolerated.”
He goes on to say that with the advent of feminism
and changes in the workplace men and women have
become more equal. “I don’t know any man who can’t
change a nappy or cook.” When asked about women
earning 20 per cent less than men he quickly points out
that his books only cover domestic life and there is a
long way to go. “Obviously society is still incredibly
sexist. It’s difficult when you write about gender to talk
about men and yet be sympathetic to feminism.”
Hornby’s books are unbalanced because they only
concentrate on men. Life is confusing for everyone,
women included. He agrees: “The flaws in High Fidelity
and Fever Pitch are that the women aren’t rounded
characters. The whole process of writing books and
reading women’s letters about them has made me completely
rethink. I’ve now decided that the men/women
stuff is a red herring.”
He elaborates on his new position on gender: “There
BUY Nick Hornby books online from and
are two extremes – England hooligans with skinheads
and women who are subservient to their husbands. Then
there’s the middle where most of us are now. People of
a certain generation don’t feel incredibly different to
their partners.”
When asked if it is simplistic to say we are all the
same, he concedes that “differences do come from our
experiences of being brought up a man or a woman.” He
also acknowledges that men can find it hard to express
themselves. “I’d rather not communicate whereas the
women I know would prefer to talk.”
This is an important change in direction for Nick
Hornby, the beginnings of which can be seen in About A
Boy. As well as touching on fatherhood it has a female
character that tries to kill herself in a bout of depression.
This is not a positive depiction of women but certainly
more complex than in his proceeding books.
His new novel, How To Be Good, is the first time
Hornby’s main character is female. He explains: “It’s
about a woman whose husband has a spiritual conversion
that drives her nuts.” This could be a risky step for
a writer so linked in the minds of the public with men
and football.
He claims he has not found it particularly difficult
to write: “I wasn’t sitting there thinking ‘Oh my God,
what would a woman say in this situation!’ “ He has
also given it to female friends and taken out parts they
did not think were appropriate.
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