Joined in 2023 
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Sadie is a lovely woman who has brought Norman up alone and doubts her mothering skills constantly. She feels that she has failed at being his mother and yet she is actually quite the woman who would and has done anything for her son. In this book, readers are introduced to twelve year old Norman and his mother, Sadie. Norman was part of a comedy duo but his best friend, the funnier half of that duo, passed away suddenly. In an effort to help her son cope, Sadie sets out on a journey with Norman to find his father. But Sadie isn’t really sure who he is, as there were a lot of candidates!
JULIETTA HENDERSON
This was a beautiful book to read. I loved the way the perspectives of mother and son were portrayed so well, mother being so unsure (as we are) of our parenting and son so caring of his mother, even over himself. Two touching characters, with a touch of everybody in each one. – Danielle, SA, 5 Stars Norman is 12 years old when his best friend and comedy partner Jax dies, ending their 'Five-Year Plan' to do a stand-up show at the Edinburgh Fringe by the time they're fifteen. Norman decides to pay tribute to Jax by rewriting the plan: take care of his mum, find dad, and go to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. Norman's mum, Sadie, finds his list and promises to get Norman a slot at this year's Fringe. Sadie is caught off-guard by Norman’s announcements, but seeing him get excited about something, anything, makes it impossible for her to refuse to go along with his plan. Filled with fear and trepidation, she agrees to a road trip to Edinburgh, planned by her elderly but sharp friend Leonard. Reminiscent of the movie Little Miss Sunshine, the trio set out on an adventure with plenty of twists and turns along the way. My Year in Nonfiction 2023 #NonficNov #NonfictionNovember #NonfictionBookParty #bookblogger #bloggerJulietta Henderson grew up in the rainforests of North Queensland, and developed her passion for the written word producing 'magazines' for school friends and neighbours with her sister. She has worked her way through jobs as diverse as bicycle tour guide in Tuscany, nanny in the Italian Alps and breakfast waitress in the wilds of Scotland. Like many Australians, her love affair with Europe began when she came to London and stayed for more than a decade. Norman – whose left eyebrow is hairier than his right; whose ears move up and down far more than other people’s when he chews; whose skin is plagued by psoriasis……is a small boy with a very BIG HEART. If you told me that I'd enjoy a book about a boy whose dream is to become a comedian, I wouldn't have believed you. The funny thing is I don't particularly like comedians, blame it on my poor sense of humour, but this book had me laughing out loud. I enjoyed the humour, the banter and the Foremans and all their uniqueness. With short chapters, dual POV and witty characters, this book has gotten under my skin. There's so much more to this story than just a boy wanting to become a comedian. We see Norman transform in front of our eyes, from a boy grieving his best friend to becoming confident and radiating happiness. Sadie is a single parent and has always felt that she isn't a good enough mother to Norman, but we see how her character develops and changes as she and Norman embark on a road trip.
Norman The Foreman | TibiaWiki | Fandom Norman The Foreman | TibiaWiki | Fandom
Enter Leonard, the elderly janitor at the car yard where Sadie works. They share a quiet smile every day when Leonard secretly, silently, gives the finger to the bullying boss who takes such pleasure in insulting Leonard every morning. Only Sadie can see the gesture. The story is narrated from the POV of both Norman and Sadie. Their grief is handled with sensitivity, not sentimentality and the heart-rending moments are balanced out with gloriously witty, sprinklings of humour - there are so many laugh out loud moments, it left me grinning from ear to ear. Norman has psoriasis; this leaves his skin with red, itchy and dry patches that are sensitive to touch. Norman has always been a loner until he met Jax. Norman and Jax became the best of friends and had a dream of one day performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, but Norman is left to dream alone after Jax suddenly passes away. Oh my heavens. Julietta Henderson has given us a gift. I feel like I have spent time with close friends that I don't want to part ways. I laughed out loud, I sighed, I cried, I smiled and I hurt.
Additionally, the story dealt with some very serious and traumatizing topics (take that as a trigger warning), but the author attempted to lighten the load with humor. I can appreciate this, as I often use humor to cope with (or deflect from!) the seriousness of an issue. However, what one person perceives as funny may fall flat on another. I know some people think I’m hilarious (and thank you to the two of you, if you’re reading this), while others clearly do not. So, when I say that I found this both flat and distasteful, I realize some readers might appreciate the humor more. There were a few moments when I did laugh, but most of the humor didn’t work for me, and I was especially unimpressed with the word usage and overall characterization of one of the dad candidates. I know it was meant to be funny, but I thought certain descriptions were unnecessary and in poor taste. When Norman meets Jax, a boy who shares his love of comedy, and has big plans for their joint futures, his life seem perfect, but tragedy strikes, and so Norman’s Mum comes up with an idea to save her little boy from the awful depression he’s sunk into.
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