1.	Nick Hornby

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"Nick Hornby is a well-known British author who has written several novels and non-fictions. In 1999, he was awarded the E. M. Forster Award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and in 2003 was honoured with the Writers’ Writer Award at the Orange Word International Writers Festival. For public, his most famous story is probably ‘About a Boy’ that was cinematized and directed by Chris Weitz, with Hugh Grant in the title role. However, the finest novel is definitely his latest piece of work ‘A Long Way Down’, published in 2005. It is extremely readable and gives a very interesting view on suicides.
The plot centres on four individuals who have nothing much in common other than the suicidal impulse that has taken them, on New Year's Eve, to the roof of Toppers House, a tower block in north London. Each believes that he or she is about to commit suicide by jumping because of their misery and loneliness. However, no one feels much like doing it in front of an audience, so they first decide to tell their stories and then come up with convincing reasons for recommitting to life. On first look, only two of them seem to have a good motive for killing themselves. 51-year-old Maureen, whose entire existence is devoted to looking after her severely disabled son, and former TV-presenter Martin, whose affair with a 15-year-old girl has led him to jail, divorce and public degradation. Less apparent are the motives of JJ, a failed American rock-singer, and Jess, a junior minister daughter. Nevertheless, after they get to know each other backgrounds better, the reasons will come up more clearly.
After a very heated debate, they decide to ‘give their lives another try’ and meet again on the roof of Toppers House on another popular suicidal date, Valentine’s Day. Then, if anyone still wants to kill himself, he might do it. They, however, stay in touch and become, in a very odd way, good friends. They start to help each other and their loneliness fades as the days go. Little things they do for each other fill their time and their lives start to take a new better shape. Although some of the ‘actions’ are not successful, for example, when Jess and Maureen try to persuade Martin’s ex-wife to get back with him because of children, they find a new way of living."