Singled Out
Chick lit goes goth in this second novel from a popular British author, who gives all the typical elements a pleasantly daft twist. In a small English town peopled with numerous delightfully batty minor characters, fortysomething heroine Cass is worried Max, her recently widowed lover of 20 years, won't marry her. When not researching her latest romantic horror novel by prowling local graveyards and haunted houses, Cass is meeting her best friends, Marilyn Monroe-esque Orla and recently separated Jason (whereishis wife, anyway?), at the local pub to bemoan their single states. Dysfunctional family members include twin sister Jane, the ferociously selfish lauded poet, and Eddie, the congenial nudie New Age flautist. The "meet cute" scene occurs at a charity slave auction; Cass becomes the prize in a bidding war won by mysterious stranger Dante Chase. Chapters open with lively negative reviews of Cass' horror novels reflecting her current situation. The prose is cluttered with quips, witticisms, and amusing asides, but fans of "veddy British" humor will easily get past it to the wholly unbelievable yet entertaining plot.Kaite MediatoreCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved