Man and Boy (Tony Parson)

Set in London, this story tells us about a man named Harry Silver, who has it all: a beautiful wife, a wonderful son and a great job in the media. But in one night of infidelity, everything went away. His wife leaves to take a chance on a new life, leaving Harry at home with the daunting and exhilarating task of raising his son by himself. How Harry Silver discovers parenthood, learns to love his own father, finds a new love and makes the hardest decision of his thirty-plus years provides the magic and tension of this novel.

I came across this book while I was browsing through some of the books put on display in Borders, Garden. This book caught my attention because

1. It was written by Tony Parson. They have like a few more of his novels on display. So I was wondering, who is he?

2. I needed something to read and the title caught my attention. Simple and direct.

It's actually very touching and nice to read. As how James Brown from the Obsever quote 'I cried five times and laughed out loud four'. Seriously speaking, I do tend to smile at myself when i read this book. It's 'real' and it tells you about life, how you would go through it, not everyday is rainbow and sunshine, how you actually pick yourself up and move on with life...

One segment of the book caught my attention and I would like to share it with you.

It's the part where Harry and his mother went for a Shirley Bassey performance after the death of Harry's father. It's a conversation between Harry and his mom.

'How do you do it, Mum?'

'How do I do what?'

'How do you manage to carry on after losing Dad? I mean, you were with him all your life. I can't imagine what it must be like to try to fill a gap that big.'

'Well, you don't get over it. You can never get over it. I miss him. I'm lonely. Sometimes I'm frightened. And I still have to sleep with the light on.' (my mom still does..sometimes)

'But you have to learn to let go. That's part of it.'

'Part of what?'

'Part of what it means to love someone. To really love someone. If you love someone then you don't just see them as an extension of yourself. You don't just love them for what's in it for you. Love means knowing when to let go.'

And I would see her blue eyes were shining with tears as she turn back to the stage.

I can really connect myself with this book. Strongly recommend you all to read it. Enjoy!