About a Boy (Hornby)
Short summary
London, 1990s. Will Freeman was a wealthy, childless bachelor who lived off royalties from a Christmas song his father wrote.
He invented a fictional son to join a single parents' group, hoping to meet attractive single mothers. There he met Fiona, a depressed music therapist, and her twelve-year-old son Marcus.
Marcus was bullied at school for being different. After Fiona attempted suicide, Marcus began visiting Will's flat regularly, seeking refuge and guidance. Will, despite his reluctance to get involved, started helping Marcus fit in by buying him fashionable trainers and taking him for haircuts.
Will fell in love with Rachel, a single mother, and pretended Marcus was his son to impress her. Marcus befriended Ellie, a rebellious teenage girl obsessed with Kurt Cobain. When Cobain died, Ellie smashed a shop window in grief and was arrested. Marcus accompanied her to the police station.
He’d had his whole life set up so that nobody’s problem was his problem, and now everybody’s problem was his problem, and he had no solutions for any of them.
Will confessed his deception to Rachel but she appreciated his genuine care for Marcus. Fiona's depression improved as Marcus became more independent. Marcus matured significantly, developing his own style and friendships. Will realized he had become part of an unconventional but supportive extended family, finding purpose in caring for others despite his initial resistance to responsibility.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Two separate worlds: Marcus's troubled home and Will's empty life
Marcus lived with his mother in London after moving from Cambridge. His life was marked by constant upheaval—his parents had divorced four years earlier, and his mother had recently broken up with her boyfriend Roger. Marcus asked his mother directly about the breakup, a question others might have found humorous but which he considered perfectly sensible. After a loud argument, Roger had left, shaking Marcus's hand and wishing him luck at his new school. Marcus reflected on the transience of relationships in his mother's life, noting how people came and went, leaving behind only memories and unanswered questions.
His new school proved to be a nightmare. Marcus felt fundamentally unsuited to school life, recognizing that his differences made him a target. He attributed much of his 'weirdness' to his mother's influence—she encouraged him to listen to Joni Mitchell and Bob Marley instead of contemporary music, to read books rather than play video games. These preferences, while acceptable at home, alienated him at school. During an English class discussion about madness, a student suggested that people who 'sing for no reason in class' were mad, prompting laughter directed at Marcus. The teacher's attempt to move past the comment only intensified the humiliation.
Meanwhile, Will Freeman lived a life of complete self-indulgence. At thirty-six, he had never worked, living comfortably off royalties from a Christmas song his father had written decades earlier. He filled his days with shopping, watching television, listening to music, and maintaining casual friendships. Will took pride in his 'coolness,' even scoring himself highly on a magazine questionnaire that validated his lifestyle. He reflected that someone like him would have been impossible sixty years earlier, when daytime television and modern entertainment didn't exist to fill the void.
You didn’t have to have a life of your own any more; you could just peek over the fence at other people’s lives... The thirty-six-year-old Will wasn’t particularly unhappy about it; there was less clutter this way.
An unexpected connection: SPAT, Dead Duck Day, and forced involvement
Will's comfortable existence took an unexpected turn when he decided to join a single parents' group called SPAT (Single Parents—Alone Together) to meet single mothers. He invented a two-year-old son named Ned and attended his first meeting, where he met Suzie, a tall, blond, beautiful woman who had been abandoned by her husband the day before she went into labor. Will fabricated a story about being dumped by his ex-partner, who didn't care much about 'Ned.' His performance was so convincing that he even felt a tear welling up, and Suzie placed a comforting hand on his arm.
Through SPAT, Will met Fiona and Marcus. At a picnic in Regent's Park, Marcus accidentally killed a duck by throwing a large piece of bread at it. Will tried to cover for him when the park-keeper arrived, spinning an elaborate lie about Marcus loving ducks and trying to sink the body to prevent Suzie's daughter from getting upset. The situation became more serious when they returned to Marcus's flat and discovered Fiona unconscious on the sofa, having attempted suicide. Suzie frantically tried to rouse her while Will called an ambulance. Marcus, initially confused, gradually understood the gravity of what had happened.
But this was the scariest thing he’d ever seen, by a million miles, and he knew the moment he walked in that it was something he’d have to think about forever.
At the hospital, Marcus left a message for his father. Will, despite his initial desire to leave, found himself staying with Suzie and Marcus in the waiting room. The evening dragged on, with Marcus repeatedly visiting the vending machine and occasionally commenting on the other people in the waiting room. When they finally received word that Fiona would be kept overnight, Suzie offered to take Marcus home with her. Will bid them farewell, promising to call, relieved that the evening was over but unsettled by what he had witnessed.
Building bridges: daily visits, transformation, and growing trust
After returning home from the hospital, Marcus found a suicide note his mother had written. In it, Fiona expressed her belief that Marcus would hate her but hoped he might understand when older. She described feeling tired, bored, and flat, wanting to leave a party that had gone on too long. She assured Marcus that her feelings had nothing to do with him and that she had always loved being his mother. The discovery of this letter profoundly affected Marcus, who realized that things would never be the same between them.
Listen. A big part of me knows that I’m doing a wrong, stupid, selfish, unkind thing. Most of me, in fact. The trouble is that it’s not the part that controls me any more.
Despite his mother's objections, Marcus began visiting Will's flat almost daily after school. He had followed Will home and discovered that Will had no son, no second bedroom, and no evidence of a child's existence. Marcus used this knowledge as leverage, proposing a deal: he wouldn't tell his mother about Will's lie if Will agreed to date Fiona. When Will refused, Marcus correctly inferred that Will was actually interested in Suzie. Nevertheless, Marcus continued his visits, finding refuge in Will's flat from the difficulties of school and home.
Will initially resisted Marcus's presence but gradually accepted it. They watched television together, particularly 'Countdown,' and engaged in awkward conversations. Marcus confessed his dislike for school and his fear about his mother. He revealed the deep-seated anxiety he experienced daily, especially when returning home, never knowing what state his mother would be in. Will's response—a simple 'Fucking hell'—surprisingly reassured Marcus, as it acknowledged the gravity of his feelings without being overly dramatic. Their relationship evolved from Will's reluctant tolerance to a comfortable routine where Will expected Marcus to follow him in.
Will decided to help Marcus fit in at school by taking him shopping for new trainers. They went to a crowded shop on Holloway Road, where Will selected cool but understated Adidas basketball boots. Marcus was initially hesitant about the price but eventually approved. After trying them on, Marcus admitted that now the rest of him seemed 'wrong,' implying a desire for further transformation. Will felt a natural high from helping Marcus, enjoying his own generosity. However, the next day, Marcus appeared at Will's door in tears—his new shoes had been stolen by bullies at school.
When Fiona discovered that Will had bought Marcus the trainers and that Marcus had been visiting his flat, she confronted Will at his home. Her accusations escalated, particularly when she questioned why a grown man would spend time with a twelve-year-old boy. Will became enraged, explaining that Marcus often came to his flat uninvited, sometimes pursued by bullies, and he let him in for his safety. He pointed out that Marcus was being 'eaten alive' at school every day, a reality Fiona seemed unaware of. Marcus, frustrated by his mother's denial and Will's blunt honesty, tried to prevent Will from bringing up her hospitalization. Despite the heated argument, Marcus later defended Will to his mother, ultimately declaring that he needed to see someone different from her, someone who understood him better.
New relationships: Ellie appears, Christmas gatherings, and New Year hopes
At school, Marcus encountered Ellie, a rebellious fifteen-year-old girl who wore a Kurt Cobain sweatshirt and had a fierce, protective nature. After Marcus mentioned that Kurt Cobain didn't play for Manchester United, Ellie and her friend found him funny. Their interaction marked the longest conversation Marcus had had at school in weeks. Ellie later sought him out during lunchtime, loudly announcing him as their friend to his entire class. She gave him a kiss, which, though perhaps teasing, felt significant. Marcus felt a surge of pride and importance, recognizing that Ellie's adoption of him provided protection from bullies.
Christmas Day brought an unexpected gathering at Fiona's flat. Marcus's father Clive, his girlfriend Lindsey, and Lindsey's mother joined them, creating a modern, amicable post-divorce family dynamic that initially surprised Will. During the gift exchange, Will gave Marcus a vinyl copy of Nirvana's 'Nevermind' and a Kurt Cobain T-shirt. The presents revealed the family's complexities—Clive gave Fiona a Nick Drake cassette, which Will found unsettling given her recent hospitalization and Drake's association with depression. Marcus received conventional gifts from his father but a 'joyless little pile' from Fiona, including a baggy jumper, books, and piano music. Despite the apparent lack of excitement, Marcus expressed immense pride and enthusiasm, seeing them as given with love.
On New Year's Eve, Will met Rachel at a party. She was an illustrator who resembled Laura Nyro, possessing a nervy, glamorous, Bohemian demeanor. Will unexpectedly fell in love with her, despite his lifelong view of love as an unpleasant experience. He allowed Rachel to believe Marcus was his son, a deception that would later complicate their relationship. At midnight, they shared an ambiguous kiss, and before Rachel left, they arranged for their sons to meet. Marcus, meanwhile, attended Suzie's New Year's party, where he encountered Ellie. They had a profound conversation about his mother's suicide attempt, with Ellie expressing a surprisingly detached view on suicide that challenged Marcus's perspective.
Love and chaos: Will and Rachel, deepening bonds, and Kurt Cobain's shadow
Will arranged for Marcus to meet Rachel's son Ali, hoping to maintain his deception about being a father. However, the meeting was disastrous. Ali, possessive of his mother, threatened Marcus with death if Will pursued a relationship with Rachel. Marcus, realizing Ali's volatile nature, quickly escaped. When Will found him at a bus stop, Marcus explained Ali's threats. They returned to Rachel's house, where Ali, now crying, apologized. Rachel explained that Ali found such situations difficult, and Marcus agreed, sharing his own feelings about new people representing threats. Will observed Rachel's vulnerability and felt a surge of genuine affection.
Will's relationship with Rachel deepened, though they hadn't yet had sex. He was captivated by her intelligence and humor, experiencing an almost irresistible urge to kiss her when she spoke. One evening, after Will had come to Rachel feeling low about Fiona's depression, sex happened unexpectedly. Will unloaded his concerns about Fiona and Marcus to Rachel, who offered him a profound perspective: he didn't need 'a point' in the conventional sense. She observed that Will, despite having 'nothing between him and despair,' wasn't desperate. She asked why he didn't consider suicide, and Will attributed his perseverance to simple pleasures like new Nirvana albums or television episodes. Rachel clarified that these 'somethings' were precisely his 'point'—all the things that made him want to keep going.
Breaking point and renewal: crisis, confrontations, and a new kind of family
In April, news broke that Kurt Cobain had committed suicide. Marcus saw the newspaper headline on his way to meet Ellie at King's Cross station, where they were planning to visit his father in Cambridge. He felt a mix of wonder about Ellie's reaction, confusion, and profound sadness. When he met Ellie, she appeared normal at first, but during their journey, she revealed she had seen the newspaper and produced a bottle of vodka, declaring her intention to get drunk. On the train, Ellie became visibly distressed, occasionally sobbing and threatening to pull the emergency stop. Marcus realized that despite his initial positive impression, Ellie was not the right person for him romantically.
When the train arrived at Royston, Ellie unexpectedly jumped off, and Marcus followed her. They encountered a record shop with a cardboard cutout of Kurt Cobain in the window. Ellie, enraged by the perceived commercial exploitation, removed her boot and smashed the shop window. She carefully retrieved the cutout, explaining that it 'didn't seem right, him being in there on his own.' The police arrived, and both children were taken to the station. Marcus's father Clive and Lindsey arrived, along with Ellie's mother Katrina. Clive immediately blamed Marcus for the situation, making Marcus furious. He vehemently refuted his father's claims, asserting that he only got off the train to help a friend.
Will and Fiona drove to Royston with Katrina to collect the children. During the journey, a camaraderie formed among them, creating a palpable feeling of shared despair, concern, and team spirit. Will felt integrated into this group, realizing that Marcus, despite his awkwardness, had a unique ability to forge connections between people. At the police station, they met Ruth, the young shop owner who turned out to be a Kurt Cobain fan herself. She embraced Ellie, understanding her grief. Fiona, who had been quiet, suddenly became resolute, emotionally confessing to the policewoman that she hadn't been a good mother and proposing a deal for Marcus's release. Marcus, genuinely upset, called his mother 'mad' and moved to stand with Will.
I was really scared because I didn’t think two was enough, and now there aren’t two any more. There are loads. And you’re better off that way.
Marcus went to stay with his father in Cambridge, feeling a sense of pity for Clive and Lindsey after their distress at the police station. During their conversation, Marcus explained his evolving understanding of support systems, likening it to an acrobatic pyramid where it doesn't matter who forms the base as long as there are people to rely on. He emphasized that he could no longer depend on his parents if they were unreliable or struggling emotionally. He believed he was better equipped to cope than Ellie or his mother, having learned resilience and discernment in London.
Will now regularly took Ali and Marcus out on Saturdays, establishing a routine of fast-food, a film, and another shake. Marcus had matured significantly, becoming more conscious of his appearance and developing a more teenage attitude through his friendship with Ellie and Zoe. During one outing, Ali asked Will if he would marry his mother. Marcus cheerfully admitted he once wanted Will to marry his mother but noted Rachel was 'more together.' He elaborated on his philosophy using the metaphor of human pyramids for security, believing that the current arrangement of interconnected individuals and pairs was safer than traditional couples. Will conceded the wisdom in Marcus's perspective, acknowledging how much the boy had matured.
Will had lost his shell and his cool and his distance... and Fiona had lost a big chunk of Marcus... and Marcus had lost himself, and got to walk home from school with his shoes on.