Fiona and other characters

Fiona Brewer

In the novel About a Boy by Nick Hornby, Fiona is a thirty-eight-year-old mother who is raising her son, Marcus, on her own. She is a music therapist and a dedicated parent who loves Marcus deeply. Her role as a single mother is a central aspect of her character, and it informs many of her decisions and actions throughout the novel.

Fiona is portrayed as a committed environmentalist and a bit of a hippie. She is passionate about causes like veganism, environmental issues, and rejecting popular culture and trends (Chapter 14, 1%). Her strong beliefs become a source of tension and conflict in her relationship with Marcus, who wishes to make his own choices as he grows. While Fiona is always well-intentioned, especially in her efforts to protect and support Marcus, her unconventional approach often causes Marcus embarrassment and social difficulties.

However, Fiona struggles with clinical depression, which affects her daily life and her ability to connect with Marcus. Her depression is described as a persistent and overwhelming force that often leaves her emotionally distant, withdrawn, and incapable of experiencing joy: “None of it amounted to anything enormous, but the sum of her depression was much greater than its parts, and now she had to live with something that tired her and made her see everything through a greeny-brown gauze.” (Chapter 32, 69%).

Fiona’s dep...