Onyx reviews: Just Like You by Nick Hornby

Reviewed by Bev Vincent, 09/06/2020

This isn't a May-December romance; more like the March-July type explored by Tom Perrotta in Mrs. Fletcher. Joseph is a twenty-two year old who works weekends at the local butcher shop, coaches soccer and dreams of becoming a DJ. Lucy is a forty-one year old school teacher, not quite divorced yet, the mother of two boys, 8 and 10. They seem an unlikely couple, but Just Like You is the charming story of their on-again/off-again/on-again/... romance.

Lucy's soon-to-be-ex-husband is a recovering alcoholic with a tendency to get confrontational when he falls off the wagon. Joseph (never Joe) still lives with his mother in her ex-council house. Each of them try out relationships with someone of their own age—Joseph with an aspiring singer and, later, with a college student, Lucy with a novelist of some repute—but nothing works better than what they discover with each other.

It all starts innocently enough. Lucy has a married friend who likes to make loud, sexually-tinged conversation while they're in line at the popular butcher shop, ogling and flirting with Joseph. For his part, Joseph takes note of Lucy but doesn't have the courage to make a move. After all, there's an obvious age gap, plus the fact that he's black and she's white. Lucy wants to start dating again, so she asks him to babysit her two boys, who take an instant liking to him because he knows all about their favorite video games and sports. Her date doesn't go well, but she and Joseph fall for each other and embark on a clandestine relationship.

The novel is set against the buildup to the Brexit referendum. Everyone has an opinion and a side, although Joseph wanders back and forth depending upon who he's talked to most recently. His father, who has suddenly found a mission in life, campaigns for the "leave" side, whereas Lucy is just as adamantly for "stay." Joseph is keenly aware of his youthful age and lack of knowledge on the subject. Lucy thinks a lot of people are defending one side or the other without truly understanding the implications of either. People who rarely speak to each other have found a reason to engage in arguments, some of which are strong enough to sever relationships.

Hornby is particularly good at depicting the quirks of dialog when two people have something to say but aren't quite sure how to put it into words. Sentences that end with a stated—or sometimes impled—"but...." He uses this unlikely relationship to explore racism, classism and ageism. Joseph and Lucy work best when they're at home, having sex, meaningful conversations and watching The Sopranos. Whenever they try to expand beyond that setting, trouble ensues. Both of them believe the relationship can't last, and each always seems to have one foot out the door, but they have a strong bond that just might surprise everyone, including themselves.