electric mist

Starting from Square Two

Sometimes you need a light, fun read, and you search around, desperately trying to find something that isn't so cynical and jaded, it's off-putting or so saccharine that your teeth hurt by chapter two, if you can even sustain interest that far. And then sometimes, you see a recommendation on the web, you think it sounds like something that would entertain you, and so you try it out, fully expecting that like the last four or five books that you've tried, you'll read a little, not care about the characters much, set it down, meaning to go back to it and then you never do... only this time, it holds your interest.

Caren Lissner's newest book, Starting From Square Two turns out to be a delightful way to spend an afternoon reading. I think a lot of people would categorize this as "chick lit" or "romance" based on where it seems to be placed in Barnes & Noble, but I thought it transcended those over-simplified definitions.

The story is about Gert, 29, who's been widowed for about a year when her two single (and terribly jaded) friends decide it's time for her to get back into the dating game when really, all Gert wants to do is sort of exist, dealing still with the constant reminders of the husband that had been such a part of her coming into being -- college romance, happy marriage -- and she hasn't quite found her way past the grief. Her friends insist that she date in spite of her grief, and in their own crazy ways, they are grieving just as much for missed opportunities or time lost or for not finding what they thought was "out there" and are, instead, still very alone. Without giving away anything about the story, I really enjoyed the way Lissner developed Gert and showcased a main character who had sense without losing any of the story tension as to whether or not she was going to figure out what was best for her. The obstacles here for Gert resonate with a depth and feeling I hadn't expected in a book about dating -- and I liked Gert all the more for how she traveled her journey, and the depth of feeling Lissner evoked. That there are obstacles -- and that they're real and not your typical superficial romantic comedy farces -- is a credit to Lissner in that she gave them weight without feeling ponderous or melodramatic.

I enjoy all sorts of books -- from The Three Junes to anything by Welty to thrillers (Harlen Coben, Robert Crais, Dennis Lehane) to Faulkner to Austin to Flannery O'Connor to Neil Gaiman, to Connie Willis... and on and on. Different moods, different books. And some days, when I need something light at the end of the day, something to make me smile, it's really nice to discover another author that takes her genre and transcends it. I'm looking forward to reading her next book.