A triumphant and touching debut about the unlikeliest superstar you’ll ever meet.
The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman is an inspiring, feel-good novel about a small boy with a big heart, a woman who would do anything for her son, and a journey that will change their lives…
Little Miss Sunshine meets Wonder meets A Man Called Ove in this stunning debut novel that will touch your heart. “What do you get when you cross a painfully awkward son, lofty comedic ambition and a dead best friend? Norman.”
Twelve-year-old Norman Foreman and his best friend, Jax, are a legendary comedic duo in waiting, with a plan to take their act all the way to the Edinburgh Fringe. But when Jax dies, Norman decides the only fitting tribute is to perform at the festival himself. The problem is, Norman’s not the funny one. Jax was.
Norman’s mum Sadie knows she won’t win Mother of the Year anytime soon, and she really doesn’t know, or care, who Norman’s father is. But he wants to find the father he’s never known. Determined to put a smile back on her boy’s face, Sadie resolves to face up to her own messy past, get Norman to the Fringe and help track down a man whose identity is a mystery, even to her.
If meeting his dad and performing at the Festival are the two things that will help Norman through this devastating time, then Sadie is going to make them happen.
So mother and son set off from Cornwall, with their friend Leonard in his vintage Austin Maxi, on a pilgrimage to Edinburgh – to honour Jax and to track down a few maybe-fathers on the way.
Oh my heart, my heart! Julietta Henderson’s wonderful debut teaches us that – no matter the odds – we must always reach for the stars. This splendid novel was the perfect salve to start a new year with. I fell deeply and utterly in love with these characters, particularly Norman with his struggle and quirks and psoriasis. And his grief, after losing his friend.
They had such big plans together. They had a five-year plan.
JAX AND NORMAN’S FIVE YEAR PLAN
Edinburgh Fringe 2023: For One Night Only.
Norman and Jax – Teenage Comedy Geniuses!!!
Steps:
1. Get to the Edinburgh Fringe, baby!
2. Get famous
3. Get rich
The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman is an utterly charming read that will make you laugh and cry. Destined to be one of my favourite books of the year and we’ve only just begun.
Leave a Reply