Review: Sudoku or sex?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2011
Since becoming a Kindle owner, I've been devouring books at a tremendous rate and am constantly on the look out for something new.  The title "Ten Good Reasons to Lie About Your Age" attracted me because I haven't ever lied about my own age, but perhaps I should be doing so?When her record-producer husband is killed, Sally is suddenly an outsider, no longer part of a vibrant industry, no longer needed by her drug addict son and selfish daughter, and living in a house she can no longer afford.Her well-meaning neighbour and friend urges Sudoku and an allotment. Her old friend Ramone offers her a vibrator and promotes the casual sex and one-night stands they enjoyed in their youth when they were both backing singers. Sally has to decide for herself what she wants, and how to get it.But that's easier said than done. She and her husband weren't a couple, they were each half of a single unit, and without him she doesn't know who or what she is. To find out, she has to shed her wididity, take her courage in her hands, and stand on her own two feet.There are some laugh out loud moments in Sally's quest to find herself, some cringe-worthy moments in her efforts at seduction, and many poignant moments as she struggles to overcome her own lack of confidence and cling on to her fading looks as she tries to develop belief in herself as a whole person.While I found this is a highly entertaining and well-written read, it went beyond entertainment because it made me think for the first time - how would I react if I lost my husband? In many instances I thought, yes, that's exactly how I imagine I would feel. I don't know whether the author has written from personal experience, but I certainly feel that she has perfectly portrayed the psyche of a still-young woman who has lost her soul-mate.Thought-provoking and most enjoyable.