Pitch Fever by Nick Hornby: A Fan's Life - Book Review

Fever Pitch’s author Nick Hornby

“There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love.”

These are the words of Christopher Morley in his book Pipefuls, a collection of humorous essays written in the year 1920. Close to a century later, we continue to fall in love, true to his words. In today’s world where entertainment knows no boundaries of time and space, books continue to hold their charm. Some of the books are more than just books. They are a reflection of your thoughts, your pain, your joy, your life. And if you happen to be a disciple of sport, Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby is the mirror that will reflect your feelings through your life.

The book is a collection of memoirs by Nick Hornby, bringing together 24 years of his love affair with the Arsenal Football Club. The book takes us through a journey we so often travel as a fan. The first few days of being a fan is full of excitement. We are enthralled by our heroes and we begin to worship them. For some days in our life, the club and the players are all we care about. The reality strikes us after a few days. Having sung its glory, we realise how good or bad our gods are. Doubts begin to trouble us - “Is this the best team in the world?” or “Is he really the best player in the world?”. The book takes us through this journey with a young Nick being the protagonist.

The book is written in three phases. In the first phase, the author talks about how his obsession with Arsenal began. From being just another kid in the town, he becomes an Arsenal kid. He explains the joy of being at the first match, watching his first goal and winning the first trophy. Like any other kid, he finds small joys in collecting pictures of his favourite and voting for them in the local newspaper polls. Towards the end of this period, the relationship hits rough waters as other things begin to take centre-stage in his life.

It takes about three years for this lost love to blossom again. But this time around, it’s not just Arsenal. After having secured admission in Cambridge University, the author falls head over heels for Cambridge United. He continues to look for his soul mate through his adolescent years, trying to get the perfect partner who would understand his feelings for Football, Arsenal and Cambridge United.

“Before we belonged to anyone else, we were each other’s.” ? Elizabeth Noble, TheWay We Were

Nick Hornby and Arsenal were a match made in heaven. It didn’t take long for them to reunite. Probably the finest thing about the separation was that it made the bond stronger. They were back again and this constitutes the third section of the book. He talks about Hillsborough, Heysel and Racism and the effect these had on fans. The team went on to win the title twice in this period and new heroes emerged for the team. However, like any other team they had their fair share of ups and downs during the process. The book is a collection of memoirs from the year 1968 to 1992 and is so small, it will make you doubt how 24 years of action could have fit in such a small book. You will be startled to find the nature of the book and how complete it is when it comes to serving its purpose.

“For the first time, but certainly not the last, I began to believe that Arsenal’s moods and fortunes somehow reflected my own” ? Nick Hornby, Fever Pitch

On a personal note, I couldn’t agree more with the man. The book is not just an autobiography of a football fan, it is a book that speaks on your behalf. It’s not merely a book, it’s a love story. It’s a love story of millions of people across the globe. Each one of us might not be present at our temples for matches, but our hearts are always there. It’s not just about being there to celebrate when your team wins. The team requires you as much as you require the team. This book gives a voice to all your thoughts, your emotions, your grief, literally every feeling you undergo while obsessed with a certain sport.

In Nick’s own words, “How was I supposed to get excited about the oppression of females if they couldn’t be trusted to stay upright during the final minutes of a desperately close promotion campaign?”

The language is pretty simple, though a bit raw to give the feel of the situations. Watch out for the humour ingrained throughout this wonderful piece. You will love reading the deepest of philosophies about being a fan and having a laugh doing so. It is a treat every fan must relish. The book is not just an autobiography of Nick Hornby. It is our story. It is the story of every fan. It doesn’t matter which game you follow, if you ever lay your hands on this book, make it a point to carry it home and read it. It is a book every fan must read so as to give expression to the thoughts that are lying hidden in your heart for years.

I would like to end with the most famous of his quotes coming in the book. Whenever, I look at this quote, I am reminded of how true it is.

“I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it.”