About a boy

About a Boy (1998), by English novelist Nick Hornby, is a coming-of-age, comedic novel. The story begins with 12-year-old Marcus Brewer moving to London in 1993 with his loving but suicidal mother, Fiona. He must adjust to a new school with strict social norms for behavior and appearance. Marcus doesn’t wear the right clothes; he talks or sings to himself when he’s stressed without being aware that he’s doing it; and he immediately becomes the target of school bullies. At home, Marcus copes with his mother, Fiona, who is loving and caring toward Marcus but incapable of truly supporting him because of her extreme depression. The novel was a number-one bestseller in the United Kingdom at the time of publication. In 2002, the novel was made into a film starring Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult.