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Will Freeman may have discovered the key to dating success: If the simple fact that they were single mothers meant that gorgeous women -- women who would not ordinarily look twice at Will -- might not only be willing, but enthusiastic about dating him, then he was really onto something. Single mothers -- bright, attractive, available women -- thousands of them, were all over London. He just had to find them.

SPAT: Single Parents - Alone Together. It was a brilliant plan. And Will wasn't going to let the fact that he didn't have a child himself hold him back. A fictional two-year-old named Ned wouldn't be the first thing he'd invented. And it seems to go quite well at first, until he meets an actual twelve-year-old named Marcus, who is more than Will bargained for...

I have known some Nick Hornby readers, but I had never taken the plunge. The due diligence I had done seemed to confirm the reviews from friends: Hornby writes with such a charming wit that it is easy to overlook how alarmingly exposed he leaves the male perspective. Finally I decided to see for myself, though it wasn't by reading this book. I started with High Fidelity, which I enjoyed enough to want more Hornby in my life.

About A Boy tells the story of how a man -- who is not getting any younger -- finally starts to grow up. It is, however, less about his slow transition away from the shallow, playboy persona and more about the unexpected relationship with a young boy that makes the transition possible. (Man does that sound awkward.)

Will's latest scheme to meet women involves a fabricated story that he is a single father of baby Ned. Single mothers, he has decided, are the greatest untapped natural resource available to single men. On a date to the park with just such a single mother, Will has his chance meeting with Marcus -- the socially awkward young man whose poor conversation skills and even poorer fashion sense are the product of his parents' divorce. The woman who takes Marcus to the park -- and into Will's life -- is not Marcus's mother, she had...other plans.

Will knows more about what to wear, listen to, and talk about as a teenager than Marcus does. Seeing the opportunity to improve his social status at school, Marcus latches on to Will. While Will teaches Marcus about being a kid, Marcus teaches Will about the importance of family.

I can definitely see why some readers think that Nick Hornby offers a little too much "playbook" information from the man team. In About A Boy, as in High Fidelity, he writes very candidly about how (stereotypically) men feel in certain situations. Some men may feel like their secrets are betrayed, and some women may feel that they have been given the key to finally understanding their less-emotional (or even emotionless) counterparts. I don't think anything he writes leaves men that vulnerable at all, but they are certainly entitled to their opinions.

Regardless of the subject matter, Nick Hornby writes in a comfortable voice that I enjoy. His books are short and simple to read and there is enough humor in the right places to move the book along. I liked About A Boy, and my desire to read more Hornby has not been extinguished.

The only complaint that I have with About A Boy is that I would have preferred a little more development of Will's unwillingness to consider Marcus as his friend. I understand the arm's-length approach that Will uses for his interpersonal relationships, but Marcus could not have been seen as a threat to the personal sanctity of Will's carefree lifestyle. He would go out of his way to do nice things for Marcus, but on an inconsistent basis.

If you have seen the movie, which starred Hugh Grant as Will, here are a few thoughts on the differences. Hugh Grant is significantly more charming than Will is as he was written. The movie was clearly more upbeat as the book was written from a darker perspective. The young man who played Marcus in the movie was a very good casting choice.

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