One for my Baby

Author: Tony Parsons
Publisher: Harper Collins

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One for my baby is written from the point of view of Alfie, an ex-pat out in Hong Kong before the hand-over back to China. Unfortunately Alfie’s wife, Rose, dies there in a diving accident.

The rest of the book is set in England with Alfie plodding through his life, unable to move on from his tragic loss. Instead he consoles himself with a string of meaningless one-night stands, with no real emotional attachments.

Parsons has explored the feelings of love and loss through Alfie, with a degree of proficiency. The narrative is well composed, although I felt he did get a little caught up I his own rhetoric on occasion.

I also felt no real love for the main character (Alfie). I can’t really explain why but I never felt captivated by him. Because of this the book didn’t give me everything it had. And it has a lot to give. For example people’s feelings are well described and feel very ‘honest’, very real.

In conclusion I would recommend reading One for my Baby, but I wouldn’t move it to the top of your wish list of books.

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