Charlotte Street: A Novel
Londoner Jason Priestley may share a name with the cute, former cast member of Beverly Hills 90210, but the excitement in this thirtysomething’s life starts and ends there. The lackluster lad spends his days writing snarky reviews for a local rag sheet and pining over the girl who left him. (She’s marrying someone else; wouldn’t you just know?) Then a chance encounter with a lovely lass on a busy downtown street turns Jason’s life upside down. Her smile leaves a lasting impression. But there’s more: she dropped a disposable camera, whose undeveloped pictures would undoubtedly provide clues to her whereabouts. Is it ethical to have them processed? Jason pushes the limits of propriety in pursuit of romance, along the way receiving dating tips from his roommate Dev, a quirky video-game-shop owner also obsessed with a woman well beyond his reach. Will Jason find love or have his heart broken yet again? Award-winning British writer Wallace (Friends like These, 2009) serves up a mildly amusing tale of an innocuous stalker who meets a beautiful girl. --Allison Block