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A tie-in to a terrific new film, but also a bona-fide Bateman novel in its own right, Wild About Harry tells of the trials and tribulations of a sleazy local chat show host. This is the story of Harry McKee -- sleazy local chat show host. A once loving husband, he's become a drunken unfaithful slob and even his kids won't speak to him. His wife is divorcing him and taking him to the cleaners. On his last night as a married man he winds up drunk and is beaten up. When he keels over the next day at the divorce hearing his wife and solicitor assume he's pulling a fast one. He eventually wakes from a week-long coma but he's lost his memory -- everything since 1974. Inside his sagging middle-aged body he feels eighteen. Though he doesn't know it yet, Harry has been given the chance to get back his life, his wife and his self-respect. If only he could remember how it all went wrong and why his family hate him. As the pieces of his past slowly begin to fall into place we watch Harry attempt to persuade Ruth to fall in love with him all over again, and witness his failure to resurrect his career. Clinging on to the past, he at least still fits into his teenage tank-top and flares -- but he's only got two weeks until the next divorce hearing, when he will be homeless, childless and clueless!
After waking from a week-long coma with retrograde amnesia, a disgraced television host must navigate the wreckage of his personal life while trapped in the mindset of his eighteen-year-old self. Harry McKee, once a successful local personality, finds himself divorced, estranged from his children, and physically deteriorating due to his own past choices. When a violent encounter leads to a coma, he awakens believing it is still 1974, providing him a bizarre opportunity to reconcile with his wife and reclaim his dignity. The narrative follows his frantic, often comedic attempts to reconstruct his identity and repair his fractured relationships before a looming divorce hearing renders him destitute.
This novel is recognized as a quintessential example of the author's signature blend of dark comedy and character-driven farce. The narrative is noted for its ability to balance the absurdity of Harry's situation with the genuine pathos of a man attempting to undo years of self-destruction. Readers often highlight the sharp wit and the effective use of the amnesia trope to explore themes of regret and second chances. The work is regarded as a successful transition from screen to page, maintaining the pacing and tone expected of the author's broader bibliography.
Page Count:
320
Publication Date:
2001-01-01
Publisher:
Harper Collins Pod
ISBN-10:
0007105975
ISBN-13:
9780007105977
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