The To-Do List

by Mike Gayle

[Leah]

I’m quite a fan of Mike Gayle and have read the majority of his books and, not only that, have enjoyed them, too. With chick lit being such a female-dominated genre, it’s refreshing to read a book written by a man, about a man, once in a while. Mike Gayle is probably one of the best lad lit (a term I hate, despite the fact I advocate it’s opposite chick lit) and I find his reads funny and refreshing. When I read he was writing a non-fiction book based on a to-do list he wrote (aptly titled The To-Do List) I was half interested, and half worried. It’s taken me a while to finally get my hands on a copy and because I had nothing else to read while I waited for my bus, I decided to give The To-Do List a whirl.

At the start of the book, on the eve of his 36th birthday, Mike is worried that himself and his wife aren’t “proper” adults. Sure, they’ve been married 10 years and have a young child with another on the way, but their house is a tip with milk festering under the fridge, Mike wears band-sloganed t-shirts and Claire, his wife, wears fuzzy slippers. He compares himself and Claire to his perfectly-groomed neighbours and decides that the way in which he can become a real, proper grown-up is to complete a 1277 item to-do list he compiles one night and, which he then adds to, over the days following his birthday. He gives himself a year to complete the entire list, but can he pull it off?

The one thing that I can pick out that links all of Mike’s books together is his easy writing style. With a non-fiction book I was worried he might lose a bit of his humour, or some of the easiness within which his writing flows. I also, wrongly, assumed that the book would focus solely on the to-do list and would be one long attempt to fulfil every single item. I was wrong on both counts; Mike’s writing style is still in tact despite the fact it isn’t fiction and the book focuses on a lot, lot more than just Mike’s attempt to complete a ridiculously long to-do list. The To-Do List takes us from the very beginnings of the to-do list all the way to it becoming a book (unwittingly, I might add; the book only came around after Mike mentioned it to his agent and then his agent pitched it to the publisher without actually telling Mike until it was a done deal).

The book is also unfailingly honest. Mike doesn’t hold back when telling us how he doesn’t feel like a proper grown up and how he leaves spilt milk under the fridge for weeks on end. We also see how the to-do list begins to take over Mike’s life. He goes through a lot of to-ing and fro-ing as to whether the to-do list is a good idea at the beginning of the book, even giving up at one stage, before eventually perservering and giving it a good, solid go. His group of friends help him out and keep him motivated and even I, the reader, was willing him on to carry on with the list and to complete it in time. It must have been a bit strange for Mike to give us, his readers, such an open and honest account of his life. No, it’s not a tell-all kind of non-fiction book but we learn a lot about himself, his wife Claire and his two kids and I liked getting to know them. It was a bit strange at first because they’re not characters, they’re real people, and it was odd trying to drill that into myself because the book easily could pass as fiction.

What really makes The To-Do List work though is the humour. Despite the fact it’s non-fiction, Mike still manages to make the book hilarious. It was so funny I had to put it down at times to calm myself down because Mike really manages to get himself into some funny scrapes and conversations. One of my favourite funny moments occurs when Mike tries to cancel his AOL subscription and ends up having to keep ringing up, only to be told to repeat a certain set of instructions again and again until he blows his top. Even more funny events follow proving life in the Gayle household is definitely never dull. To balance out the book, there are also some incredibly touching moments; like Mike’s to-do list entry to tell his parents he loves them more often and to do something special for each of his friends. One of my most favourite touching moments though is when Mike flies all the way to New York for a mug.

Overall I found The To-Do List a hugely enjoyable and incredibly quick read. I flew through the pages and I really didn’t want it to end. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mike and his family and friends a bit more and I thought Mike’s to-do list, although long, was rather inspirational. Not that I’m going to attempt to write a to-do list, it would be longer than Mike’s I’m fairly sure. I absolutely recommend The To-Do List particularly if you’ve enjoyed Mike’s previous efforts because it has the same tone, humour and everything, and could easily pass for one of his fiction novels.