Review: Amusing idea that explores the power of perception
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 3, 2014
George II (his father is George I, his son is George III, and his grandson is George IV - the family is not very flexible) is long-divorced. He raised his son as a single parent and now feels uncomfortable around his grown son, elderly parents and rambunctious grandson. George is an accountant - quite intelligent, very insightful, but mistrustful of people in general. He lives well. His house is perfect, his garden is exquisite, his retirement fund is building and his job is ... well, okay although he has been passed up for several promotions he feels he deserved. In a bid for promotion, on his own initiative George II prepares a financial analysis showing that his Fortune 500 company could be more profitable by outsourcing certain functions. The company agrees, scraps the accounting department and George is jobless and in shock.George is desperate to find work as he sees his perfect retirement plan going down the tubes and when at long last he is offered a job as a telephone psychic he takes it. The new job has the power to change George's perception of the world if he'll let it but rational George has no intention of permitting intuitive thinking get the better of him. And therein lies the heart of the conflict.I loved the essence of this yarn but found the pacing uncomfortable. The lengthy initial description of George's home and world was truly reflective of his perfection-seeking, object-oriented personality, but it made me wish I had never had anything to do with George. While this is exactly the mood the authors wanted, they forgot that reader patience is finite. There is another slow-down later in the book (I know it was intentional - I still didn't like it!!) before the authors hit the reader with George's essence and turned him and the story upside down (well done!). I deducted a star for the uneven pacing but really liked the book!