A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby

I think the problem here is the schematic opening. Four disparate characters decide to kill themselves by jumping from a tower block on New Year's Eve but all end up there at the same time and no-one ends up jumping, instead forming a kind of mutual support group. Twin this opening with the requirements of a reader-satisfying story and the whole thing is bound to end up a bit forced, with heavy use of fudged motivations and unlikely plot turns.

Hornby is a talented writer, so its always readable. The narration is spread between the 4 central figures who are well delineated, but only the single mother of a severely disabled boy elicits any real sympathy. There are some good jokes, too.