Twenty Something - Iain Hollingshead

The novel full title actually is too long and somehow too "documentary". Twenty Something: the quarter-life crisis of Jack Lancaster. Gross! Right? Else while, I think the translator of Vietnamese version is a too damn much sentimental lady since she gave it the name "Từng qua tuổi 20". The original title freaks me out for the documentary sense (believe me when I say that if I saw the book somewhere on my traveling days I would certainly pass by it first). And the Vietnamese version makes me think "just another sentimental love story". Fortunately, I was tempted by the author. I always kind of have this feeling for books written by male authors "I wanna give it a try. He's a guy who writes." And then I fall, hard...

Reviews say the book is hilarious. Trust me. It's far beyond just hilarious. I don't remember there has been any time I laugh that much reading a book. Frankly, I could hardly sit in the chair because I was too scared of falling down from laughing. And then, at the moment of tears, I hardly kept back my tears, too. However, the book is also far from sadness or depression. The moment is "the need" for the book as well as "the need" for any young one in life.

I like his choosing writing style. It's frankly, somehow too rude but also emotional, truthful, and really touching. I think the book maybe touch me for the fact that we (I mean the author and I) are the twenty something people and have same problems with our life, aka the emptiness of material life, the struggle searching for the meaning of life, the long way finding the love of life, etc. Oh, LIFE itself!

Searching information (and e-version, I admit it) of the book, I crashed into an article of Iain Hollingshead himself on Telegraph from back then 2006 (the first published year of the book). Ok. I think the guy has a great sense of humor not only for his books but his articles as well, you know, the way he accepted the "prize" himself.

Same main subject, somehow a lot alike characters, there are Duhless (aka Dukhless) and this Twenty Something. Else while Duhless leaves readers nothing for hope, Twenty Something is more optimistic (far beyond). I myself think that Twenty Something has a (somehow) cliché ending. And I think Duhless has more real, near-to-real-life ending (I love the book even though it also leaves me just the emptiness and ache). I have to admit that I also like the ending of Twenty Something since it leaves us hope and love and many more things to embrace.

Highly recommended.

And please take my warning of not sitting on a high chair reading this book seriously.