Customer Reviews
...The best time to do the right thing is always right now... - By: Deanne Dixon, 06 Nov 2007 
I have recently gotten into a bad habit (bad from my partner's perspective - not bad in relation to famine, terrorism or child cruelty (though you would think so by the way he reacts!)) of reading my paperback's in the bath. Rarely spending more than a penny per book, I have no problem with their pages having wet fingerprints embedded in them, the front-cover bending or having to put books on the radiator after occasionallly dropping them in the bath. I have, however, got a problem if one of them nearly inadvertently kills me - which is exactly what happened when I read "His 'n' Hers" in the bath last week! Settling down to the first couple of chapters, whilst simultaneously trying to turn the hot tap with my toe, I read what has to be the funniest couple of lines ever committed to paper - "There, I wait for two & a half hours on the hard plastic seats before our turn comes up. It's my vet's practice to calll the animal's name so when the nurse says, 'Disco Smith', eveyone in the waiting room laughs". Ok, so admittedly, this line is probably more funny in context, than I have written it here, but you can imagine the scenario - I start laughing uncontrollably, causing me to relax, my foot to slip off the tap & for me to slip under the water. Still laughing, but choking at the same time, my partner had to come into the bathroom & virtuallly drag me out of the bath. After his initial concern, he saw an opportunity to gloat. Handing me a towel, & smiling wryly, he lent forward & whispered "Well, what did I tell you about reading in the bath?".
Briefly, "From their first meeting at the student union over a decade ago, Jim & Alison successfully navigated their way through first dates, meeting parents, moving in together & more... Then they split up & divided their worldly goods (including a sofa, a cat & their flat into his 'n' hers). Now, three years on & with new lives & new loves, they couldn't be happier. Until a chance encounter throws them back together, & causes them to embark on a journey through their past to ask themselves the big question: where did it alll go wrong, & is it too late to put it right?"
There is one emphatic theme running throughout the course of the story, & how you rate the book itself will largely depend upon how often you feel the author actuallly achieved this: I am, of course, talking about the notion of BALANCE - with there being times in the book where Mike Gayle gets this pitched so perfectly, but occasions in which he gets it so horribly, horribly wrong. I can not disagree with the previous reviewers who have suggested that there was no real reason for Jim to break up with Alison half-way through the proceedings (there is a slight hint at him being frightened by the level of commitment she is looking for, in terms of having children - but this idea is never explored fully), other than to act as a vehicle to bring the story to it's inevitable conclusion. I don't have any real grievances with an author who wants the climax of the book to be placed in the middle of the story - so long as the events leading up to pinnacle of the narrative & the events afterwards are addressed in equal measure - something which Gayle doesn't do. I feel as if a mountain metaphor would be helpful here. Gayle spends the first part of the book giving us the details of the "history" that Jim & Alison shared. This is a steady, thorough climb up the slope towards the peak - the inevitable break-up: no stone is unturned in the chronology of events, nothing is left unsaid. Yet, after the break-up, the book suddenly picks up pace towards it's conclusion: it's rushed & it hurtles towards the foot of the mountain with such pace that it almost forgets itself. Whether this is an inevitable conclusion to a book that was clearly born out of it's final chapter or whether this is as a result of the poor choice to only describe the actions that the main characters go through rather than the emotions they feel in the run up to the break-up, is for you, as a reader, to decide. Maybe, just maybe, we were meant to focus more on the diary dates that you inevitably over-look in your eagerness to keep the narrative flowing: it did occur to me that there were weeks at a time missing when narrating events - weeks in which underlying issues were possibly explored without the knowledge of the reader, culminating in what seemed like an "out of character" decision for Jim to leave Alison. Only the author himself will ever know if that was the intent. I, however, can't help feeling that the book would have worked better had both Jim AND Alison diairised key events, rather than one or the other taking us through the narrative: admittedly, it would have been repetitive, but it would have given us a clearer indication of "why" events turned out the way they did. I also have to agree with the previous reviewer who said the author should have made more of an effort to establish Helen & Marcus as key characters - giving Jim & Alison more obstacles to overcome in their quest to re-affirm their love. Having four main characters would have given the story a greater balance, yet would have detracted from the genuine affection we had for Jim & Alison at the end of the story (if we had known Helen & Marcus in more detail, it would have made us more inclined to condemn Alison & Jim for their forbidden live, rather than to admire it) - no doubt this was something that the predictable-Gayle was careful to avoid.
Having said that, there are aspects of the story that are particularly successful. Admittedly, the story is rather predictable (you only need to read the blurb to see how it will end), yet it ties together alll of the loose ends in a rather cyclical nature - creating a balance of significance between the past, present & future. Yes, the syntax often leads alot to be desired (see, for example, the lack of necessary comma's on page 5), yet that should not detract from what is a genuinely funny & relevant read. Credit must also go to Gayle for trying something at the time that was slightly different from his usual fare - addressing the female perspective. This turns out to be one of the greatest aspects of the book, with the generallly un-stereotypical Alison (I say "generallly", because there is one incident in which she is reallly petty about the division of possessions after the break-up) being a perfect foil for the intrinsic Jim - a balance which is, in the end, ironicallly perfect, in amongst alll of those which are not.
Mindless, Tedious, Dull - A Painful Read - By: F Park, 02 Nov 2007 
I bought 'His n Hers' having read & reallly enjoyed Mike Gayle's book 'Turning 30'. It was like pulling teeth. It was worse than watching a reality show - full of mind-numbing, way too lengthy & insignificant details - I don't know how I finished it except through sheer determination. I found that despite 350 pages to this book at no point did I warm to the character Jim. There were some bits that you could relate to & raised a smalll laugh every now & again but for the most part it was a load of drivel. I'm quite amazed its had such good reviews from other people actuallly but I guess people are different. I agree with people's comments about the sudden change of heart that Jim has too - it was out of the blue & didn't fit in well at alll. The last two chapters in particular were painful to read in that the ending was predictable but instead of coming quickly, in the meantime there was loads of insignificant & irritating detail - I just kept thinking "Get on with it". I'm not impressed with this book & can't wait to part with it. If you want to do something exciting I suggest watching paint dry rather than reading this book.
ok, bit predictable - By: Lindymck, 21 Jun 2007 
enjoyable enough but a bit predictable at the end. also feel this book was much more balanced between both characters, male & female as previously felt the author had much more focus on the male perspective. did enjoy the parts set at uni, did take me back to my own uni days!!!
nice little read, also recommend checking out josie lloyd & emlyn rees if you enjoyed this one
Really enjoyable.. - By: Snapdragon, 14 May 2006 This is the first Mike Gayle book I've read & my first impressions are that he makes this stlye of writing look deceptively simple.
The story involves Jim & Alison, how they met, how their relationship progressed & how it eventuallly ends (and restarts again!)
I read this book in two days! The scenes at university reallly struck a chord with me, especiallly the observations about people on the campus 'the woman with no eyebrows' & the 'boy who dresses differently'. (I can't believe there's more than one person who knows someone with no eyebrows!!!)
A bit predictable, but sometimes that's just what you want. I imagine this would be good for fans of Lisa Jewell, & the like, who are looking for what to read next. Worth a read.
A relaxing and very enjoyable read - By: , 10 Feb 2006 
A book that reminds one very much of their university years memories that live with you for the rest of your life...very touching & moving..you can totallly relate yourself with the characters,a read that in the end keeps the hope of love alive...
