Man Alive
By Dave Hill
Review $101
Continuing the themes of family and fatherhood that Dave Hill began in his best-seller Dad's Life, Man Alive explores parents redefining themselves after the children leave home. Our luckless hero, Derek Hawker, is having a trial separation from his wife. She has gone to China, to have 'a great adventure' and find 'the man of her dreams'. He decides to quit his job and start his own business, although he's afraid to tell his boss in case he sneezes or breaks wind in her office. His son, Matthew, is sending cryptic e-mails, and his brainy daughter, Charlotte, who's always been a quiet, well-behaved girl, is expecting a baby. Hill's take on how men handle domesticity is refreshingly witty, and he keeps the jokes coming thick and fast. At times, though, it's just a bit too flippant.
