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A Long Way Down is a novel written by British author Nick Hornby, published in 2005. It is a dark comedy, playing off the themes of suicide, angst, depression and promiscuity.

The story is written in the first-person narrative from the points of view of the four main characters, Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ. These four strangers happen to meet on the roof of a high building called Topper's House in London on New Year's Eve, each with the intent of committing suicide. Their plans for death in solitude, however, are ruined when they meet. The novel recounts their misadventures as they decide to come down from the roof alive - however temporarily that may be.

Characters

Martin Sharp - Formerly of Breakfast with Penny and Martin a top rated morning show in the UK, Martin made the mistake of sleeping with a girl who was 15 yrs and 250 days old, a 115 day gap of legality which would ruin his career, and his marriage.

Maureen - A pious, sheltered middle-aged Catholic woman who is left to care for her vegetative son Matty. This has lead to her living the past 19 years of her life in relative seclusion, going only to Church and spending the majority of her time making up stories to tell Matty.

Jess - A tactless, unpredictable, drug-abusing teenager who carries around the emotional baggage of family issues and an unhealthy obsession for tracking down her ex-boyfriend Chas.

JJ - An American who's sole purpose for being in London is a relationship with his girlfriend Lizzie who was British. He was in a band,Big Yellow, who until recently had been performing across the UK. JJ lost the band and the girl and has now found himself delivering pizzas via moped.

Film Rights

As with several of Hornby's earlier books, it seems likely that A Long Way Down will be adapted for the screen. Johnny Depp had bought the rights to the book before it was even published.

Reviews:

"If Camus had written a grownup version of The Breakfast Club, the result might have had more than a little in common with [A Long Way Down] ... a brave and absorbing book. It's a thrill to watch a writer as talented as Hornby take on the grimmest of subjects without flinching, and somehow make it funny and surprising at the same time." -- Tom Perotta, Publishers Weekly

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 *Martin Sharp - Formerly of ''Breakfast with Penny and Martin'' a top rated morning show in the UK, Martin made the mistake of sleeping with a girl who was 15 yrs and 250 days old, a 115 day gap of legality which would ruin his career, and his marriage.
-*Maureen - A pious, sheltered middle-aged [[Catholic]] woman who is left to care for her [[vegetative state|vegitative]] son Matty.  This has lead to her living the past 19 years of her life in relative seclusion, going only to Church and spending the majority of her time making up stories to tell Matty.
+*Maureen - A pious, sheltered middle-aged [[Catholic]] woman who is left to care for her [[vegetative state|vegetative]] son Matty.  This has lead to her living the past 19 years of her life in relative seclusion, going only to Church and spending the majority of her time making up stories to tell Matty.
 *Jess - A tactless, unpredictable, drug-abusing teenager who carries around the emotional baggage of family issues and an unhealthy obsession for tracking down her ex-boyfriend Chas.
 *JJ - An [[American]] who's sole purpose for being in London is a relationship with his girlfriend Lizzie who was British.  He was in a band,Big Yellow, who until recently had been performing across the UK. JJ lost the band and the girl and has now found himself delivering pizzas via moped.
 ==Film Rights==
 As with several of Hornby's earlier books, it seems likely that ''A Long Way Down'' will be adapted for the screen.  [[Johnny Depp]] had bought the rights to the book before it was even published.