Mr. Commitment

Her: "What if I told you I didn't love you any more?" Me: "I wouldn't believe you." Her: "But you wouldn't ever give up trying?" Me: "Nah. Some things you can't give up on, can you?"

The world of aspiring stand-up comic Benjamin Dominic Duffy is shaken to its uncertain foundations when his adored girlfriend Mel revokes her previously held opinion of marriage as "an outmoded concept created by a patriarchal society to keep women in their place" and, on bent knee, proposes to him. Mel, "a living, breathing, moving version of Chrissie Hynde singing "Brass in Pocket"," is the girl of his dreams--but Duffy's dilemma is that marriage is still his worst nightmare. Dan, his best friend, flatmate and fellow bath-dodger counsels him to retain The Ways of the Bachelor, while Mel's best friend Julie--known as Nosferatu due to her bloodless dislike of all things Duffy--urges her to rebuff his increasingly desperate attempts to regain her affections. When a blissful reunion is sabotaged by domestic rites of passage through IKEA, Duffy resolves to "become a bachelor boy like Dan--a superstud of seduction, a he-who-will-never-again-come- off-worse-with-the-chicks, a righteous dude committed to anything but commitment." But when even TV's Hottest Totty media-babe Alexa Wells cannot help him become a success as a stand- up--in more ways than one--Duffy begins to wonder if he's given up all for nothing.

Gayle has an eye for the soulful romance and wry comedy in the utterly ordinary, and Mr Commitment marries heartfulness and hilarity with a yearning that stops comfortably short of the sentimental. --Rachel Holmes

`MR. COMMITMENT' gives the reader a hilarious yet touching view of relationships from the male perspective. The story of comedian Ben Duffy begins when his girlfriend of four years Mel wants to take their relationship to the next level and get married. They are twenty-eight years old and know each other inside and out so in her opinion marriage is the next logical step. However, marriage is the furthest thing from Duffy's mind. He loves Mel more than anything in the world but he doesn't fee that he can commit to anything more that two weeks together at a vacation resort. So when Mel brings up marriage Duffy wants to be able to commit and knows that it is indeed time but just cant bring himself to make a lifelong commitment to Mel. So they decide to go their separate ways after which Duffy soon realizes that his fear of commitment may have cost him the love of his life.

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did but Ben Duffy's journey into the land of adulthood was completely absorbing and getting the story from a male perspective was a refreshing way to shake up the genre a little bit. Mike Gayle is definitely giving chick-lit icons such as Ms. Green and Ms. Fielding a run for their money! Well done Mr. Gayle!


A very funny and heartwarming book!   July 28, 2004
M Frega (London, UK)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful

I have picked up this book while on holiday in Corfu form the library by the pool and from the first few pages, I just couldn't put it down! I have finished it in two days. The books bares the marks of sand and water, some of the pages have turned yellow! I though it was ace! Duffy clearly loves Mel but it is also very clear he doesn't want to get married! The book captures the modern dilemma of so many couples: she wants marriage, kids, semi detached and nice family car; he wants a girlfriend to see at week ends and occasionally during the week when he doesn't go out with the lads! Duffy eventually gets married, there fore, you could say the book has an happy ending, however, Mel is pregnant and I can't help feeling that if those two had so much trouble just to get married, God only knows what they are going to be like once they embrace parenthood and all that! But that is just my personal view! As a book this is very well written which maintains a subtle sense of humour while touching some strong issues. I have already lent it to my best friend. Yeah! I never did return the book the pool library. Oooopsie!!


Thank You   January 9, 2003
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

OH MY GOD! If ever a novel was true to life then Mike Gayles 'Mr Commitment has to be it. Having read his first book 'My lengendry Girlfriend' and been quite impressed this second offering blew me away. Un-put-downable, addictive, and life changing this book truly paved the way for me and my own writing ambitions. i got caught up in Duffys and Mels relationship and felt the pain when he did, so where the realism of the lead charcater. Mike Gayle stand up and take a bow. Hollywood call Hugh Grant!


Another Rib Tickler from Gayle   December 28, 2002
Andy Mason (Leeds, W. Yorks United Kingdom)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Well done once again Mr Gayle. Very easy read, unputdownable and hilarious in places. The book strikes real issues in such a witty observational way. A must for anyone who has just heard those chilling words from their partner 'Isn't it time we got....?'