First off, I just want to say how disturbed I am by all the review quotes on the front and back covers talking about how funny, comedic, and hilarious this book is. It's not. It has some clever turns of phrase, some good chuckles, but it's not the laff-a-minute romp the pull quotes would have you believe. This is the story of four deeply troubled people helping each other (whether they know it or not) through those critical days after planning to jump off the top of a building. The characters are sympathetic and well-developed, as with all of Hornby's books (it's why I read him), and honestly I think this one is a little stronger than the others I've read, because we're looking at such damaged people so sympathetically.