To be honest, I picked up this book with much curiosity as I have heard tons of praises for it from some notable critics. Nick Hornby is a famous British author noted for his comedic, witty take on complicated issues faced by regular people going through their everyday lives.

This book is also no different. The tittle gives hint of the shocking, tantalising nature of the pop-culture and then book itself deals with the whole phenomena of pop culture cult.

It’s the story of a seventies pop (rock?) star called Tucker Crowe and how his unannounced departure from the music industry has led to building up a cult following for all his previous works, especially his ground breaking album titled Juliet. Thanks to the miracle called internet, the followers of this once famous singer could band together and form an online club to discuss and debunk all the hidden nuances of his songs as well as the rumours behind his long hiatus.

The founding member of this group is the man responsible for our lead protagonist, Annie to push to realm of anxieties about her whole life. His name is Duncan Thompson and he is world’s leading Crowelogist. Duncan is so obsessed with the long forgotten musician that he has been on a pilgrimage kind of tour to all the important places where Tucker has even been, including a very famous washroom with enthusiastic pictures to prove.

So on one day, out of the blue Duncan receives an hitherto unpublished copy of Tucker Crowe’s new album called Juliet, Naked. Considering he is the leading authority on the man’s music on the face of the planet, therefore a review is demanded by the singer’s music label of this return-to-the glory album. But unlike Tucker’s previous work, Duncan’s are not the first ears to hear these songs but Annie’s. This not only muddles Duncan’s mind about the songs but also it brings up all his fermented, troubled feelings about Annie to the surface.

What leads from here is quite entertaining but not very surprising from a reader’s point of view. It’s a cross continental version of You Have Got Mail with few bits of Bridget Jone’s Diary and it is based out of a nondescript seaside town called Goolness. what makes this story stand out is the carving out of its characters in quite the precise details.

Tucker Crowe’s persona as someone who has abandoned his talent of being musician to being a full time dad doesn’t come as contrived. The way the narrative progresses and by his own admission we get to understand his life better. Same goes for Annie – she comes with a dramatic mix of Bridget Jones and bored suburban wives but her sincerity and endearing nature wins not only Tucker but also us. The one character which I find not to be fully developed is perhaps Duncan except for the last few pages. There are other people in there too, but they provide a kind of subtext and background needed to make this story plausible.

To sum up, I would say it’s a good light hearted book to end the month of Valentine on just about the right note (pun intended!) Definitely recommended for the all the romcom lovers.