The Best a Man Can Get

John O'Farrell

In recent advertising by the razor people, Gillette, the backing jingle has trilled "Gillette ... the best a man can get". Gillette must be fantastically pleased with this ad and its jingle because it's shown in other countries with the same annoying tune and the same cheesy images of silky skinned men closing deals in offices and throwing their smiley children into the air. Gillette don't seem to care that their catchprase no longer rhymes or even scans in most other languages.

The hero of John O'Farrell's novel, ad jingle composer Michael, reckons he has organised his life to be the best a man can get. He lives two lives. At home, loving wife and beautiful children. Across town, for when the messy, tiring and frankly boring business of children gets too much for him, he as a bolt hole, a flat shared with three other mates where he can party late at night and sleep in in the morning. Mates don't know about the wife, wife doesn't know about the mates (she thinks he's working away).

Needless to say wife Catherine discovers his guilty secrets; they break up, the make up. The stage is set for a comedy of the sexes very much along the lines of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity.

And the quality of the comedy stands the comparison. I was laughing most of the way through and I think anyone who enjoys Nick Hornby's stuff would have a fun time with this one.