I don't mind nothing happening in a book, but nothing happening in a phony way--characters saying things people never say, doing jobs that don't fit, the whole works--is simply asking too much of a reader. Something happening in a phony way must beat nothing happening in a phony way every time, right? I mean, you could prove that, mathematically, in an equation, and you can't often apply science to literature.

Adaptations


Film
Several of Hornby's books have made the jump from page to screen. The novel about a neurotic record collector and his failed relationships was adapted into a 2000 film starring John Cusack and a Broadway musical in 2006. Their album Lonely Avenue was released in September 2010.

His books have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide as of 2009. His work frequently touches upon music sport and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity and About a Boy as well as for the football memoir Fever Pitch.