As I’m writing this review, I have just finished the last page of “Good Material” by Dolly Alderton. When I saw this novel on a face-out stand in the Lawrence Public Library, I knew I was checking it out. Not only is Dolly Alderton a popular author that I love, but the cover is so eye-catching. Between the bright colors and the clothesline art, I was immediately drawn in. And, God, am I glad I read this.
“Good Material” follows failing comedian Andy Dawson after he is freshly broken up with by his girlfriend of four years. Andy is rapidly spiraling out and experiencing “The Madness,” as one of his friends likes to call it. The novel follows him over the course of 6 months after his break up and all of the absurd things he does in an attempt to cope with his new life as a single, balding, thirty-five-year-old.
It’s not often that I see romantic comedies, or any romance novel, really, written from the perspective of a man. Picking this up without any prior knowledge, I was initially caught off guard by Andy’s perspective being the one that was followed. I started to wonder if this book was going to leave any sort of impact on me as someone who is not going through a breakup or able to relate at all to a comedian in his thirties. I was surprised how wrong I was about Andy’s point of view being a hard one for me to follow. His perspective offered a new way of looking at romantic comedies. I usually read novels where I relate to the main character and apply their thinking to my own life, but this book was honestly the opposite. Keeping up with Andy is like following the exact opposite of what I would do in his situation.
Andy is a mess in this book. He handles his breakup in the worst ways possible, including becoming a borderline alcoholic and deciding to rent out a houseboat for a year before cancelling the lease within 48 hours of being on board. Even though Andy is frustratingly stupid, I found myself wanting the best for him. He clearly loved his girlfriend and just needed some support to get through the hard part of their separation. Despite this love for Andy, it also starts to become very clear throughout the novel why he was broken up with. Beyond just his career struggles, Andy was cripplingly insecure and incapable of communicating his emotions to anyone, including his ex girlfriend. As much as the reader is led to see all of Andy’s sweet spots, it’s impossible to deny that his ex girlfriend wasn’t in the wrong for dumping him. I can confidently say that I have never read a novel that caused you to want the main couple to break up, but this one definitely does. And I love it anyway.
At the end of the novel (minor spoiler alert!) Andy’s ex girlfriend’s perspective of their relationship is shown. She only narrates for one chapter, but it is such a beautiful ending to this novel. She shares about her personal struggles with relationships, how she isn’t sure she ever wants to be in one, and how much she loved Andy, but just couldn’t be with him knowing that he felt differently about their situation than she did. She delves into the pressures of being a woman in her thirties without a husband and kids and how that pressure on her isn’t equally applied to the men surrounding her, including Andy.
While her side of the story comes along after Andy begins to move on, I felt that it offered even more insight into the struggles of humans that differ by gender. While Andy struggles with his career and with accepting that he is balding, his ex is struggling with the pressures of children and marriage in a society that sees her as “aged out” by the time she’s forty. I thought that this comparison was absolutely brilliant to add into a novel. I will be honest, I probably would have only given this novel three stars until I reached the last chapter, but Andy’s ex girlfriend’s perspective topped it off to five for me.
Alderton writes a beautiful, insightful novel into aging, romance, and breakups with “Good Material” while being humorous and light-hearted. This novel is absolutely perfect for anyone looking for a romantic comedy with some deeper meaning, or just anyone looking for some beautiful prose and funny, morally grey characters.