The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman

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The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman is a delightful debut novel by Aussie author Julietta Henderson which was lots of fun; filled with laughter and tears, hope and gravitas, Norman and his psoriasis would find the way. Along with Norman, Sadie and Leonard were beautifully crafted characters. I feel Ms Henderson will be an author to watch. Recommended. (and thanks to GR friend Carolyn for her recommendation) If you're after a heart-warming book filled to the brim with hope and humanity, then Julietta Henderson's charming The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman should be your next read . . . A life-affirming tale. * CultureFly * What a wonderful tale!! Except for Sadie’s obnoxious boss, Henderson gives the readers a cast of characters to love, to laugh with, to ache for, to cheer on. It’s surely impossible not to fall in love with a boy like this: “I think maybe all the parts of me that were good were actually made of Jax. And I think about that a lot because I’m pretty sure it’s true.”

But then I started to feel really bad because I didn't want that to mean I was forgetting about Jax, so I closed my eyes and thought about being happy and being sad and how sometimes there's a million miles between them and other times there's none at all.” Henderson’s debut novel charms…Humor, heart, and hopefulness make Norman Foreman a winner for fans of Julia Claiborne Johnson’s Be Frank with Me and R. J. Palacio’s Wonder. When Jax Fenton was alive, he and Norman were tight, they did everything together and mostly that was comedy. They were little old men in little boy bodies with dreams and goals already in place. They dreamed of being a comedy team and going to the Edinburgh Fringe, but something interrupted that plan. Jax died.Norman has psoriasis; this leaves his skin with red, itchy and dry patches that are sensitive to touch. Norman has always been a loner until he met Jax. Norman and Jax became the best of friends and had a dream of one day performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, but Norman is left to dream alone after Jax suddenly passes away. Jax – is the rambunctious, cheeky, extrovert to Norman’s ‘straight man’ persona, and is Norman’s bestest ever friend in the whole wide world. As Jax always said, one really and truly best friend is a hundred times better than having a whole bunch that aren’t quite sure. Sadie is caught off-guard by Norman’s announcements, but seeing him get excited about something, anything, makes it impossible for her to refuse to go along with his plan. Filled with fear and trepidation, she agrees to a road trip to Edinburgh, planned by her elderly but sharp friend Leonard. Reminiscent of the movie Little Miss Sunshine, the trio set out on an adventure with plenty of twists and turns along the way. There’s a good chance Norman’s father is one of four people. Now I know how that makes me sound, but it’s a fairly reasonable alternative to the other scenario, which is that he would quite possibly have been one of several more if circumstances had allowed.” By the time you finish this book you absolutely fall in love with Norman Foreman, and most of the other characters.

The writer brings the reader along on Norman and his mother Sadie's journey—both of them are grappling with grief, Norman's from the present and Sadie's from the past. Over the course of the book, the two learn that grief need not define their lives; the message is that joy can always be found, even following the depths of sorrow (Hilary D). Although there is pathos and sadness surrounding the loss of Norman's best friend and comedy partner, Jax, there is love and growth and friendship and stamina and determination (Ginny H)... continued

Memories of Jax were pivotal to the story but the action was centred around Norman's quest to fulfill a dream he and his buddy had shared since they were ten. The boys had planned to perform as a comedy duo at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Norman was the straight man to the showy and comedic Jax, a-lá Abbott and Costello. Now Norman is determined to go solo even though he's terrified (and he knows he's not that funny), but the memory of Jax's words give him the courage he needs. The message being that when you’re scared to do something you should just think about the worst thing that could possibly happen and then get in there and have a go anyhow. Norman figures the worst thing has already happened so what does he have to lose. Let me say at the outset as a reader you will definitely need to suspend disbelief, more so the further on the book gets as some of it is over the top. But by then you’ll be happy to because these quirky characters will have worked their way into your heart and you will be cheering for them to achieve their goals. Filled with wisdom, gentle humour, and some laugh aloud moments, this definitely takes the reader on a fun filled and yet poignant journey. Norman and Jax are a legendary comedic duo in waiting, with a five-year plan to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe by the time they're fifteen. But when Jax dies before they turn twelve, Norman decides a tribute act for his best friend just can't wait, so he rewrites their plan: The hunt is on! It's a road trip with Leonard's spreadsheet of names, an itinerary, and his complete command of Google maps. I liked the premise of the story and the characters. A lot was improbable, but that didn’t bother me. Some of the people they meet along the way are a bit over the top, too, but they added a little colour. Norman’s mum Sadie knows she won’t win Mother of the Year anytime soon, and she really doesn’t know, or care, who Norman’s father is. But her heart is broken when she discovers her grieving son’s revised plan: ‘Find Dad’ and ‘Get to the Edinburgh Fringe’.

I was really expecting to enjoy this one, and I’m sorry to say I ended up skimming just to see where their trip went, how far they got, and who they found.

Death – There’s a lot of things you have to think about when you don’t have a best friend any more. Like where you’re going to sit for lunch and who you’re going to talk to about last night’s ‘Live at the Apollo’, and what you’re going to say when people ask you if you’re OK. And how you’re going to finish your ‘pairs’ biology project when the other half of your pair is gone. Little Miss Sunshine meets Wonder meets A Man Called Ove in this stunning debut novel that will touch your heart. The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman is the first novel by Australian author, Julietta Henderson. When they were ten, Norman Foreman and Jax Fenton made a Five Year Plan.