While boating, I devoted my reading time to a couple light novels.

The Opposite of Success by Eleanor Elliot Thomas

The story focuses on Lorrie and one important day – it’s the launch of her big work project at (Melbourne) City Council, and she’s awaiting news of a promotion. Lorrie also has a loving partner, two young children, and a best friend, Alex, who is involved in a tricky situation with Lorrie’s ex, Ruben – or, more accurately, his wife. Unhelpfully, Ruben’s boss happens to be the mining magnate who is sponsoring Lorrie’s project.

The calamities unfold in a fairly predictable way, and the ending is somewhat farfetched BUT there were some really terrific characters in this book. Lorrie’s colleagues are described so well that I had flashbacks to my days in the public service, but the standout is Lorrie herself. I felt like I knew her well, and there were bits that resonated. Especially this (it’s basically me) –

Lorrie herself was culturally promiscuous. She could wolf down a dense TV classic like The Wire or bury herself in some thousand-page experimental novel, and then role over and inhale three entire seasons of Celebrity Rehab. This broad palate applied to just about everything in her life: she loved Bill Evans and Taylor Swift, gothic cathedrals and cream-brick veneers, black truffles and processed cheese. She enjoyed these things in different ways, but she couldn’t say that one gave her more pleasure than the other.

The quote reminded me of the brilliant chapter titled, ‘I like it!’, in Samantha Irby’s latest essay collection, and of this video that recently went viral.

Strong characters and some genuinely funny scenes bode well for the future. Will read more from Thomas.

2.5/5

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny

When I discover a new-to-me author, I have to stop myself binge-reading everything they’ve written. Such is the case with Katherine Heiny. I read her short story collection, Games and Rituals, last year and followed it with Standard Deviation. Both were hilarious. I bought more of her books, and although Early Morning Riser had hints of the same humour, it was considerably more restrained.

The story is about Jane, who falls in love with Duncan. He is charming, good-natured, and handsome but unfortunately, he has also slept with nearly every woman in Boyne City, Michigan. Jane sees Duncan’s old girlfriends everywhere – at restaurants, at the grocery store, even three towns away. While Jane may be able to come to terms with Duncan’s dating history, she wishes she did not have to share him quite so widely.

There’s more to this story than Jane and Duncan, and although I was all set to have a low opinion of Duncan, Heiny manages to swing it, predominantly with the introduction of other characters, most importantly, Duncan’s co-worker, Jimmy. There’s also a few odd-bods (Heiny writes a kooky character so well) and a couple of unexpected turns in the plot, leading to a satisfying ending. Perfect beach boating reading.

3/5