The title of this novel is only 50% accurate, a very poor effort. Yes, it’s about men, but there’s little or nothing about mice in these pages. Mice enthusiasts will come away disappointed. This got me thinking aboutother novel titles. You would have to say that such books asThe Slap, The Help, The Great Gatsby, Gangsta Granny, Mrs DallowayandHamlethave very good titles because they are all about a slap, some help, a Gatsby who was really great, a no good granny, a woman who was married to a guy called Dalloway anda Hamlet. I have no problem with those titles. But you may be poring over the pages ofTo Kill a Mockingbirdfor a long fruitless evening to find any mockingbirds coming to any harm at all. Indeed, to coin a phrase, no mockingbirds were harmed during the making of that book. So I rate that title only 5% accurate. And some titles seem to have a word missing, such as Conan Doyle’sThe Sign of Four. Four what? It doesn’t say. Perhaps he completed the book and left the title to the very last minute and died as he was writing it down. Same thing withThe Crimson Petal and the White.White what? Wallpaper? Hat? Cat? Mouse? Mockingbird? Could beThe Crimson Petal and the White Gangsta Grannyfor all we know. A poor title. And what aboutThe Dharma Bums? I thinka CigaretteorYou Outis clearly missing from that title. Another grossly misleading title isWomen in Love. I can’t be the only reader who was expecting some strong girl on girl action from DH Lawrence but Iwould have been better off fast-forwarding to the middle part ofMulholland Drive.Now that’s what I callWomen in Love.DH, take note. Another badly chosen title isHitler’s Niece- yes, itis 100% accurate, but at first glance it can look likeHitler’s Nice, and surely thatis going to put off a lot of potential readers (except for the readers you reallydon’t want).
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