Written by Mark Barrowcliffe

Book Synopsis:

How many partners should it take to find The One? Meet a man with a commitment problem. Women wouldn't commit to him. Mark Barrowcliffe has had around forty girlfriends in all, depending on what your definition of a girlfriend is.

He's now happily married, but why couldn't he hold on to any of the others? From first kisses to commitment, whirlwind affairs and heartbreak, Mr Wrong is a very funny, sometines uncomfortable, true account of every girl Mark has ever been out with. But does his story constitute the rakish diaries of a dedicated ladies' man, or twenty-five years of abject failiure with women?

Reader's Review:

This book advertises itself as 'a real life High Fidelity' and in the opening chapters I thought Barrowcliffe might have a chance of living up to the great Hornby when it came to writing from a male perspective but still engaging a female readership. Stories of childhood girlfriends and the teenage protagonist's woeful lack of understanding of how to have a relationship kept me amused for the first quarter or so of the book.

It was, however, when relationships became more 'adult' that my affection for the protagonist and interest in the book began to wane. The descriptions of sexual encounters were just a little too graphic for my taste and gave a voyeuristic edge to the writing which made it uncomfortable to read.

The blurb promises that this will be a memoir of 'every girl Mark Barrowcliffe has ever been out with', which seemed like an interesting hook. As it turns out, Barrowcliffe has had over 75 "girlfriends" (we use the term loosely in this text), and reading about each and every one of them can become a little draining this is especially the case when the author refers back frequently to his past relationships, without offering a frame of reference for the reader. This led to me constantly having to look back to remember who so and so was, which ruined the flow of the text. The book would have been just as entertaining and perhaps much more appealing if Barrowcliffe concentrated on the relationships that made for a good story.

Although I know this is a memoir, I feel that a little manipulation of the truth would not go amiss. I read this book as an uncorrected proof edition so grammar and punctuation errors did get a little irritating but generally I enjoyed Barrowcliffe's style. At times he wanders off on tangents and fails to completely bring the reader back to the original point but this is occasional. The author manages to make the reader empathise with his protagonist, even as we condemn his actions, and be genuinely happy when he finally finds 'the one' (although perhaps for some it will be because you have finally reached the end of 441 pages).

Overall, despite the criticisms levelled, I would say this book is worth a read if you've read all of Nick Hornby and are looking for something similar (albeit slightly inferior). I'd be really interested to get an opinion from a male reader of this text, to see if they disliked the character as much as I. Imagine a close friend with a rocky romantic history relating all their relationship woes in a long chat in the pub and I think you'll have a good indication of this book!

Reviewed by Laura Coles on 10/07/2008