A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

Mark Haddon has a gift as a writer. His writing is so approachable, so thoughtful, so compassionate, but still highly readable and thought-provoking. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was a touching and heartfelt book, and I really wanted to see what else the author had to offer. I was very excited when I spotted this at the bookstore.
A Spot of Bother tells the story of George Hall and his unique and hilarious family. One day George discovers a "spot of bother" - a lesion on his leg which he is absolutely convinced is cancerous. His daughter Katie is marrying the wrong man - Ray, his wife Jean is cheating on him with his ex-business partner - David, his son Jamie is in a torrid romantic love affair with another man - Tony, but all George can focus on is his lesion.
After the first boring 100 pages, the book really takes off, and hilarity ensues as the wedding progresses. The characters and their development steal the show, but it's as if the moral of the story they were all looking for was a bit lost and out of focus in the end. That said.. this is a really good book! Once it gets in its groove, the plot just twists on and on, and you wind up feeling as if you're one of the quirky Halls yourself - cheering at their victories and sympathizing at their losses. As the book progresses, the author really makes you love these characters, despite their growing list of faults.
This is a great book that everyone should read, but I can't help but feel disappointed seeing as how this was written by the guy who wrote The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - a book that defied what I thought a novel could be. In the end though, this is a hilarious, well told, fun to read story, and I'm really glad I read it.