High Fidelity

High Fidelity is a 1995 fiction novel by the English author Nick Hornby. It tells the story of Rob Fleming, an obsessive music fan who examines his top five worst break ups to understand his most recent heartbreak. The book was adapted into a musical, a television series, and 2000 film starring John Cusack and directly by Stephen Frears.

Plot Summary

Rob Fleming is the 35-year-old owner of a record store in London. When his girlfriend Laura breaks up with him, he struggles to cope. He creates a list of his top five worst break ups of all time but insists that Laura does not even make the top five. He gives a detailed breakdown of the five women who he believes have had the most devastating impact on his life, including Alison Ashworth, Penny Hardwick, Jackie Allen, Charlie Nicholson, and Sarah Kendrew.

Rob returns to work, where he spends his days arguing about music with his two employees. Dick is shy and awkward while Barry is outgoing and obnoxious. All three men are equally as obsessed with pop music, and they habitually create top five lists of their favorite songs, albums, and artists with increasingly tenuous parameters.