The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson

A 12-year old boy called Norman and his best friend Jax had a five-year plan to take their comedy show to the Edinburgh Fringe. Now Jax has passed away Norman re-writes the plan and enlists the help of his mum Sadie and her friend Leonard to find his Dad and get to the Edinburgh Fringe.

What a wonderful book! Prepare to have your heart broken then mended again, to laugh, to cry and everything inbetween. I loved Norman, Sadie and Leonard, and the author writes entirely convincingly from both Norman and Sadie's alternating viewpoints. There is an fabulous supporting cast of characters we meet along the way and the pace, comic and poignant moments are all expertly done. Very highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This is a touching story about the complexities of relationships and loss. Norman and his best friend Jax have a plan to perform at the Edinburgh Festival. Unfortunately, Jax dies and Norman has to rethink his plan, as well as deal with his loss and worsening psoriasis. His new plan involves performing at the Edinburgh Festival on his own and finding his dad, out of 4 possibilities. This book takes us through his journey, with chapters written by both Norman and Sadie his mum. This book has you rooting for Norman throughout, and has a heart warming, tear jerking ending.

“I felt the world slow down, shudder and grind to a halt as I looked into my son’s eyes and all of a sudden realized with absolute clarity what I’d been way too blinded by my own sadness to notice since Jax had died. Norman was so much braver than I would ever be.”

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.
JAX AND NORMAN’S FIVE YEAR PLAN. Edinburgh Fringe 2023: For One Night Only –Norman and Jax –Teenage Comedy Geniuses!!! Steps:
1. Get to the Edinburgh Fringe, baby!
2. Get famous
3. Get rich

Norman, fatherless and plagued by psoriasis, had no real friend until Jax turned up at Alverton Community Primary from East London, four years earlier. Jax had a bad boy reputation, but they were soon inseparable; Norman infected Jax with the love of comedy he inherited from his granddad; the one thing their plan hadn’t allowed for, the vital flaw, was Jax dying of an asthma attack just a few months before his twelfth birthday.

While no longer a pariah at school (“how weird is it that your best friend has to die before some people decide to be nice to you”), Norman’s grief is profound: “I thought about trying to do a deal with God. Just in case. Because I thought maybe he’d consider swapping one of my eyes, or a couple of arms, or a leg or two for bringing Jax back. Or both eyes and an ear even. I got the deal right down to me being a blind, deaf, no talking torso sitting on the beach and I still decided that would be OK if only I could have Jaxy back sitting next to me”

His mum, Sadie is naturally worried for her son, shrinking before her eyes, and misses the larger-than-life Jax too: “I still couldn’t think about Norman standing up on a stage in my father’s moth-eaten jacket without seeing the emptiness around him. All that space that Jax used to fill with his laughter, his noise, his badness, his goodness and his funniness.”

Then she notes a change in the Five-Year-Plan on the wall:
Edinburgh Fringe Festival –Norman Foreman, For One Night Only Sausages and Gravitas, the Jax Fenton Tribute Show Steps:
1. Look after Mum
2. Find Dad
3. Get to the Edinburgh Fringe
The first point squeezes her heart; the second is a surprise (even to Norman, it seems); and the third? She’s determined to make it all happen, even if there’s less than a month until the Festival starts.

When Sadie shares the problem with Leonard Cobcroft, the OAP employed as a cleaner by her racist, sexist, misogynistic bully of a boss, under the Age UK employment scheme, she expects commiseration, not action. But she underestimates Len: he’s ex-Army, IT savvy, supremely organised and talented in many fields, thanks to adult education courses.

Before long, they’ve departed Penzance, heading north in Len’s (rusty) teal 1971 Austin Maxi, armed with spreadsheets, a laminated agenda, a shoebox of jokes on Post-its, and Google maps: via Barnstaple, Swansea and Bournemouth, checking out father candidates and entering talent contests and open mic opportunities, hopeful of a Performance Slot in Edinburgh. If they can just keep the demon psoriasis at bay, and help Norman develop a sense of timing….. Norman has the gravitas; Jax was the funny one.

The closer they get, the more Sadie worries about her fragile boy in front of a critical audience, but Norman reassures her: “The worst thing already happened. Everything already went to hell in a hand basket, so it’s all got to be OK from now on, because nothing else could ever, ever be that bad. You don’t have to worry about me, Mum, honest.”

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.”

With a plot that includes dodgy accommodation, dubious venues, and a fanciful Facebook profile, then builds to a hilarious climax involving a bizarre laundry rescue, a daring break-and-enter, chef’s whites and escape on a speeding moped, Henderson’s debut novel is funny, moving, heart-warming and uplifting, and more of this talented author will definitely be welcome. Recommended!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld.

This is a breath of fresh air - funny, with characters you care about. It does get a little slapstick and silly at times, but who cares; we need cheering up and this certainly does that. What a shame that most people will not get to read it until February!

A very sweet and funny book, which takes the reader on a real rollercoaster ride. Norman is a wonderful character, and I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

I loved this book! It was so funny, with plenty of laugh of loud moments but also had charming characters and a very interesting plot! Norman is the most loveable 12 year old and his friendship with Jax was beautifully handled. I liked the changing narratives between Norman and his mum Sadie which brought the characters to life. It was one of the best books I've read this year and I am looking forward to seeing what Julietta Henderson does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Inspiring, wonderful, beautiful, heartfelt, tragic, hilarious, cringeworthy (at times!), Perfect.

I rarely give 5 star reviews but this stunning gem is fully deserving of all 5 stars.

The relationship between Sadie and her son Norman is raw, honest and enchanting. Sadie’s sardonic outlook on life and her judgements on herself as a mother really resonated with me. Norman’s innate kindness and goodness were never sickly, it makes me want to be a better person! His psoriasis infliction is dealt with perfectly and the underlying storyline of grief is dealt with beautifully and with great empathy and understanding. I loved this book. I will read it again and again and buy it for all my friends!

Leonard is somebody we all need in our lives and the pilgrimage from Penzance to Edinburgh has given me itchy feet to travel again.

Buy this book, treasure it. Share it and love it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review which I couldn’t have been happier to write.

What a wonderful book. Laughs, tears, thought provoking and heart warming. I cannot recommend this book enough. Hold tight you are in for a bumpy ride.

This is a beautifully written, entertaining book. It is the story of the ambition of two boys aged ten to perform a comic act at the Edinburgh Fringe before they are fifteen. Then one, Jax, dies aged twelve leaving the ambition to be fulfilled by Norman Foreman. Norman is the much loved son of a mum who became pregnant when at university in Edinburgh but is not sure by which man! So a trip to Edinburgh might find Norman’s father too. The story is well told. It is sad and funny in equal measure. The relationship between mother and son is carefully created. The reader is taken quite literally in a journey, from Penzance to Edinburgh as well as from sadness to success. I recommend it.

I enjoyed The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman. It’s not perfect but it avoids most of the pitfalls which could have spoiled it and I found it readable, amusing and touching.

Let’s face it, it could have been dreadful: a twelve-year-old boy with psoriasis dreams of doing a comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe with his best friend (who is the funny one) but the best friend dies suddenly. His single mum and her very elderly friend decide to help him do a Fringe show anyway, and try to find out who his father is, to boot. It could be sloppy, sentimental, manipulative drivel and I’m not even sure why I tried it, to be honest – but I’m glad I did because it’s nothing of the kind.

Part of what makes it so good is the narrative voices of both Norman and his mum, Sadie. Both are convincing, insightful in their own ways and amusing, too. Norman’s slightly naive but thoughtful and often funny take on things (like the grief of losing your best and only friend) is both powerful and very engaging, as is Sadie’s angst-ridden parental outlook. Julietta Henderson manages to avoid sentimentality to a great extent (I was especially impressed with the way she dealt with the book’s climax of The Show itself) and shows us two people dealing with real difficulties and growing, while avoiding the trite, hammered-home Life Lessons which so often pollute books like this. The search for Norman’s dad is well done, I think, although the ending does get pretty ridiculous and perhaps just spills over into schmaltz a little – but I could forgive that because much of the book is so good.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It’s a very good, enjoyable read with some genuine content and I can recommend it.

(My thanks to Bantam Press for an ARC via NetGalley.)

The last couple of books I've read have been very average so to pick up this one was a complete delight.
This one had vibes of 'The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry' and I LOVED it!

I was hooked in from the beginning. I immediately loved the main characters - especially Norman. The book alternates between the views of Norman and his mum, Sadie which was interesting to hear both of their thoughts and opinions about the situation. I think this book had the perfect amount of humour, emotion and intrigue... Who is Norman's Dad? Do they get to Edinburgh?

I feel like this is a book that I will re-read in the future as it is so uplifting and I absolutely adored it.

This is an amazing first novel from Juliette Henderson - and I can’t wait to read her next one! This story will have you laughing out loud one minute, tearful the next, and always empathising with the characters.
Norman is not yet twelve when his best friend Jax dies. They had been friends since the age of six when Norman had no friends at school, was bullied, and had horrendous psoriasis to cope with. Jax roared into his life, full of fun, naughtiness and wisdom beyond his young years, and dragged Norman along with him into fun, adventures, and eventually, they formulated a five year plan together.
Norman’s single mother, Sadie, who considers herself lacking in the mothering department is a wonderful, character who couldn’t love her son more, and in return, Norman finds her a brilliant mother and loves her unconditionally.
Max becomes a third in this relationship, and when he dies suddenly, at the age of twelve, both Sadie and Norman are devastated, Sadie’s grief is made worse by the change in her son without his best friend, and she determines to help Norman follow the slightly amended five year plan that he and Jax had made, to try to bring Norman back to the boy he was.
The characters they now meet on this journey are diverse and each wonderful in their own way, and totally supportive of Norman and his quest. I was so sorry to come to the end of this book and will recommend it to everyone.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book, and what an absolutely wonderful book it was. The characters were brilliant and I found myself laughing out loud and being moved to tears in equal measure, I was with them for every part of the journey and was sad when I finished the book as I could no longer spend time in their company.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley who invited me to read this wonderful book. It’s funny, sad and insightful.

The characters are just fabulous with Norman as the central character. A tragedy leads Norman And his mother to undertake An adventure With a near stranger that no one would believe. The people they meet Along by the way Instill a confidence in a 12 year boy to follow a dream that he had hoped to follow with his best friend.

The pace of the book was just right — I could just see this Being made as a funny British film because the characters are so believable and they came to life as a read.

Highly recommend this.

Hands up if you loved and still remember Auggie from R.J. Palacio's novel Wonder.       Well you are not alone.    Wonder has over 700K reviews and an average GR rating of 4.44 so it is clearly a much loved book.    So now while you still have your hands up I'd encourage you to do yourself a favour, reach out and grab a copy of Julietta Henderson's debut novel <b> The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman </b>. Norman often brought Auggie to mind. The stories are entirely different but the feelings they generated were similar. This one's not due for publication until 18th Feb 2021 but I'm expecting big things for Julietta and Norman. I will not be at all surprised if their stat's rival Auggies.

From the very first pages I was in.   Hook. Line. Sinker.  The whole way through I relished the writing and the tone which was light, funny and touching.   This might seem quite incredible given our first encounter with twelve year old Norman is at his best friend Jax's funeral.   Jax, the "Rolls-bloody-Royce" of best friends.  Jax, the cheeky, loveable, sometimes naughty but always kind boy.    Jax who at eleven years, 297 days (and about 12 or 16 hours) left a gaping, boy shaped hole in the lives of Norman and his mum Sadie's lives.
 
It's a toss up as to who I loved more, Norman or Sadie.  Norman, the boy <i> "...who’s spent the better part of his life covered in a solid scale of psoriasis that hurts like hell, looks like shit and who still keeps smiling?"</i> Or Sadie with her self deprecating tone and a love for Norman which was beyond compare and exquisitely portrayed.   I particularly liked her sardonic inner dialogue which  sounded quite realistic.   You know,  the way we often think one thing but say something entirely different, not nastily, but things that are simply better left unsaid out loud.

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.

The other part of the quest was to find Norman's Dad.   Sadie herself doesn't know who Norman's dad is, and might I add has no desire to know, but in the spirit of trying to bring her grief filled boy back to some semblence of happy she's willing to agree to anything.   Helping them on their mission is octogenarian Leonard, a gorgeous old fellow whose logistical prowess brings it all together.  

Throughout it all the grief is palpable and it's relateable but it's not overwhelming because it's offset with generous helpings of love, humour, a bit of sillines and plenty of hope.    It's a story with a really lovely message and I thoroughly recommend this book.

Thanks and congratulations to Juliette Henderson on her great debut.   Thanks too to Bantam Press an imprint of Transworld Publishers, and of course NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

This is the book you'll want to give to friends with a "you must read this - you'll love it" message. I read it over two days and when I finished - I went back to the beginning and started again. I loved it.
Meet twelve year old Norman, who is plagued by severe psoriasis, Sadie his mother and Leonard an elderly workplace friend of Sadie, and Jax. Jax, a hare-brained schoolfriend of Norman with a devil-may-care attitude to life which endears him to both Sadie and Norman. Although Jax has died, his presence drives this wonderful story.
Sadie and Norman alternately take us with them on their journey to the Edinburgh Fringe where Norman wants to honour Jax's memory by doing a comedy turn on his own and trying to find his father en route. Both narrators share their thoughts with the reader. Sadie is eloquent with a wry, droll humour as she tells us of her lack of parenting skills. At times we laugh out loud as she takes us into her confidence. Norman, as Sadie keeps telling him, has"gravitas". He is terrified at the role he has set himself. His narration provokes both laughter and tears. Leonard is an unlikely multi-talented octogenarian who takes them in hand and project manages their pilgrimage but who carries an air of mystery around him.. The rest of the cast includes men who might just have been Norman's father! All of these characters are so well rounded and believable.
What a journey! This novel will translate so easily into a film or television. It will surely be high on the lists of the best books of 2021.

The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson is a heart-warming tale focusing on a boy called Norman who has recently lost his best friend Jax just before they turned twelve. They were preparing to take their comedic duo to Edinburgh Fringe when they were fifteen years old, but with Jax passing away, Norman focuses his sadness and pain on paying tribute to his best friend, and not waiting another three years. He re-writes their five-year plan with three objectives in mind:

1. Look after mum
2. Find Dad
3. Get to the Edinburgh Fringe

With the help of his mother Sadie, as well as her friend Leonard, and some others along the way, they set out on a journey to talk to four potential fathers, alongside the goal of securing a slot at Edinburgh Fringe. You will want to follow these characters on their journeys of self-discovery, of finding the truth, and of confronting the present or past, with many touching and humorous moments accompanying these.

One thing I particularly liked about this book is having alternate perspectives from two of the main characters- Norman and his mother Sadie- and these being of different ages. The switch between the voice of an adult, and of a 12-year-old boy, but also the relationship of these voices as mother and son, was very effective. Experiencing events, thoughts and feelings from these alternative narrators meant that the reader was given different insights and felt a greater connection to both of these characters, and their close relationship as mother and son, who have really only known each other. Both have also lost someone close to them; Jax, and attempt to deal with this in differing ways. It is their story, a story of a son who has to deal with grief alongside breaking out of his awkward personality to become a solo comedian to make Jax proud, and his mother having to confront her past and feelings of not being the best mother, to allow each other to heal and continue with their lives. There were so many heart-warming moments and I loved how both of these characters truly cared about one another. Norman, Sadie, and Leonard are all characters that, not only feel real, but are also very loving and will make you want to enter the book to accompany them on their journey and support them. As each page progressed, I was rooting for these characters and the ultimate end goal for Noman. There were some emotional moments, and all of these factors complemented each other very effectively to create a touching and moving novel.

I did not quite give this book five stars due to personal preferences surrounding the ending. I felt it was a little rushed and that there could have been a few more scenes to give the book a little more closure, but this may just be because I enjoyed the book so much that I wanted to see some additional final moments of Norman. On this note, I think the book could have a fantastic sequel, exploring Norman’s life as he gets older and hopefully continues his character progression, and perhaps even becomes a very famous comedian.

If you are wanting a book that explores important feelings and issues of grief, and of dealing with past trauma, mixed with some really heart-warming moments and humorous scenes, then this book will be perfect for you!

Thank you to Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with my copy, in exchange for my honest review.

it took me a little while to get into this book but when I was there ... well, what a ride it was. Norman Foreman is a 12 year old lad who lives with his single mum Sadie. His skin is permanently ravaged by psoriasis and his best friend and comedy partner Jax has just died. Deep in grief, Sadie and Norman are struggling through life until an elderly friend breezes into their life and somehow Norman discovers he has a plan: 1) to look after his mum, 2) to find out who his dad is and 3) to play the Edinburgh Festival in honour of Jax. There follows a fabulous road trip with a sparkling cast of characters who all play their part in helping Norman along the way. I found myself falling in love with Norman and his amazing mum Sadie (even if she wouldn't say she was) and the wonderful Lionel, and was in tears by the end of the book. A great read!

If you are looking for your next piece of uplit then look no further...

Sadie lost her father when she was 19 and went on a bit of wild child rampage which resulted in the conception of her son, Norman. She doesn't believe she is a good mum but truly loves her son. Norman had always been left out until a kid name Jax came along and they formed the closest of friendships, then Jaz passes away and Normans world is turned upside down. This is the story of grief, love and finding who you are when your independently of anyone else.

I adored everything about this book, it had the perfect mix of humour, emotion and intrigue, it even had an older character in which is my absolute favourite!

I loved that we got chapters from both Sadie and Jax' point of view as it added another layer of depth and provided additional humour of looking at things through the eyes of an elevn year old.

I really enjoyed reading this book, mix of different emotions reading this and the story of the book.

I would recommend this book

With thanks to Netgalley & Random House for the copy of this book in exchange for this review