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An offbeat road trip tale that takes place at the intersection of grief and happiness.

The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman is the comedic debut novel of writer Julietta Henderson. It averaged a strong rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars with our First Impressions reviewers.

What the book is about:

Twelve-year-old Norman and his single mom, Sadie, are narrators who take the reader along on a car trip through Scotland with their 80-year-old friend Leonard, a trip that has disaster written all over it from the outset. The twin goals of the trip are to find Norman's biological father...and to allow Norman, an aspiring but not funny comedian, to fulfill his dream of performing his comedy routine at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (see Beyond the Book) to honor his recently deceased best friend, Jax, who indeed had real comedic talent (Laura C).

Reviewers found the characters charming and intriguing from the start.

As the daughter of a former stand-up comedian, I was immediately drawn to the story of the young, sensitive, skin-peeling, heart-broken protagonist Norman Foreman (Jamie K). Sadie and Norman are a wonderfully human family that you can't help but root for as they carry on both their literal and figurative journeys (Cherryl V). I thought about these characters even when I wasn't reading this book. I had the same feelings when I read and loved The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood (Karen R).

Many mentioned that while the story focuses on grief, it fosters a positive mood and message.

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).

Some readers felt that the story, while well-told, was a bit predictable and one-dimensional.

I thought this book was well-written, although somewhat predictable. The cast of quirky supporting characters who come together to help/rescue Norman and Sadie as well as the misadventures along the way are just a bit too much (Becky). This novel begins in a promisingly refreshing style, which is easy, breezy, chatty and natural. However, I found that as it progressed, it wore thin. It is written on the same level throughout which grew tiresome (Cynthia V).

However, others felt it was thoughtful and touched on important life lessons.

Not sugar-coated or too good to be true, but a thoughtful book about family, friendship and loss told with humor, grace and quirkiness, which makes it irresistible in many ways (Barbara F). This is a thoughtful book about friendship, family, grief, illness, growing up and growing old. There's so much wisdom, kindness and hope buried in these pages (Beth M).

Overall, reviewers found The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman to be an uplifting read especially appropriate for current times.

During the pandemic, I have been making a conscious effort to read more positive, upbeat, "happier-ending" novels, and The Funny Thing hits the spot (Barbara F). This is a book with a wonderful message about life, dreams and love, making it a great read for these pandemic times (Cherryl V). This is an uplifting and optimistic read for the times we are in. Book clubs and everyone else should enjoy it (Laura C).

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in May 2021, and has been updated for the April 2022 edition. Click here to go to this issue.

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