From Here to Paternity - Matt Dunn

Along with the rise of chick lit, there has been an increase in the books written from a male perspective, of which Mike Gayle is one of the major contributors. From Here to Paternity was the first book I have read by Matt Dunn, and I have to confess to being fairly disappointed.

The crux of this is that, no matter how funny the book was - and it definitely raised a few chuckles, including a rather amusing scene in a Gap changing room - I disliked the main character of Will. This is a man who has treated previous girlfriends abominably, who has brought a certificate off ebay so that he can set himself up as a life coach, and who decides that he wants to have a baby, regardless of who he might hurt to get to that end result.

The book suffers from this, because you don't actually want Will to achieve his goal, because you feel as though he would be a far from adequate father.

There are also some massive cliches in the book, including a visit from Will's father and realising that the girl he ends up with already has a child (something that is signposted so heavily that you are almost insulted!)

I did, however, like the characters of Barbara and Tom, who manage to dispense well-meaning advice to the prospective father, and provide a realistic picture of what life is like when a child (or children) come along to disrupt things.

So, not altogether bad but very disposable fiction I'd say, and not a book that I would pick up again.