A Spot of Bother by Mark HaddonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mark Haddon has a talent for writing about topics from an unusual point of view. In A Spot of Bother, Haddon takes a rather difficult topic - mental health - and discusses how it affects an entire family with empathy and humor.
George Hall is going crazy and trying to do it with dignity. George really does not want to be much of a bother to anyone. When a small spot appears on his hip, he goes off to visit the doctor without telling his wife. The doctor diagnosis is eczema but George obsesses about the spot and is convinced that he has cancer and the cancer is rapidly spreading to other parts of his body. George is polite to a fault and really doesn't want to worry anyone. George begins to have trouble coping and his family slowly realizes that there is something not quite right about George lately.
Throw in George's daughter's upcoming marriage to an unsuitable bridegroom, his son's homosexuality, and his wife's affair - George handles it all by avoiding the issues at hand. Things soon tumble into a mess and are sorted out again with humor and aplomb.
Mark Haddon writes about topics that touch all of our families and does it with humor and kindness without losing sight of the seriousness of the subject matter. Hats off to Haddon for a great story.
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