Sweet Sorrow Summary
David Nicholls (writer)

Sweet Sorrow Overview

In David Nicholls' fourth novel set in a nondescript English town, 16-year-old Charlie Lewis is on the brink of manhood. Struggling with a newly estranged mother and sister, a depressed and alcoholic father, and recent failure on his school exams, Charlie joins a theater cooperative to impress a girl, Fran Fisher. Fran is worldly, attractive, and a talented actress, and she brings Charlie out of his self-conscious shell. She and two new friends, Alex and Helen, help Charlie to cope with his turbulent home life. Themes of first love, family values, friendship, and purpose pervade this coming-of-age novel.