Review: Emily is an extremely likable character
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2012
Phone Kitten hit the right spot with me, and to be honest, it took me awhile to figure out why.  I didn't buy the sleuthing at all, and a few of Emily's actions were unrealistic (she should have listened to Dennis!), but I finally realized that the author created one of the most likable protagonists I've come across in quite some time.Emily is a "chub," a bigger girl who has gone through life invisible to most people.  She has lost 30 pounds, and guys seem to find her attractive, but she has the chub self-image and is overly concerned about her appearance.  When she is fired from her job, she takes a job as a phone sex operator where her sultry and sexy voice seems to make her a perfect fit despite her lack of experience in the romantic arts.  When one of her clients ends up murdered, she goes Nancy Drew to try and solve the case.As I wrote above, I didn't buy the sleuthing.  Very little of it seemed reasonable, but in the end, I didn't care.  I don't think this was meant to be an accurate and realistic detective novel, and the reveal at the end broke detective fiction conventions.  But as a light-hearted romp, none of that mattered.Emily is everybody, and to me, she resonates.  I am a middle-aged man, and I don't have a weight problem, yet I found myself in her.  I could empathize with her, and I maybe fell a little in love with her myself.  She was funny, resourceful, and full of the self-doubts that all of us face.  While a unique character, I was a little reminded of Toula in the film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."  The bottom line is that I was drawn into her life and wanted more.The phone sex was a nice little hook, although the actual phone sex was almost non-existent.  This was a very tame book despite her job.  I think most people have at least a passing prurient interest in the seamier side of life, hence the ratings when shows like "Taboo" cover such subjects.  So it was interesting to read just how this industry works.  The author's description seemed accurate to me.  I have a friend who, after an accident that kept her bedridden while she was recovering, worked as a telephone tarot card reader for half a year or so, and the author's telling of the business of phone sex pretty much fell in line with that of the fortune telling, the differing end result notwithstanding.I liked the author's wordsmithing.  She was clear, crisp, and emotive in her written word.  The story flowed well without gaps and slow spots.  But her most important skill was in characterization.  Emily was extremely well-fleshed (no pun intended), but even the other characters, especially the "good guys," were also well done.  I was surprised to see how well I came to like Craig as the book developed when initially I thought he was only a minor character.  Rick, Emily's love interest, also developed quite well.The bottom line is that I really enjoyed this book, which still surprises me a bit.  I enthusiastically recommend it, and I look forward to reading more by this author.