It was once the fashion to pen novels in the forms of letters or diaries. It appears it is now becoming the fashion to use e-mails. “Wanderlust” is told entirely through e-mails which makes for a funny, fast-moving story.
Kate is a travel writer who has a weekly column forcing her to travel around the world in search of new vacation destinations on which to report. Forced is too harsh a word, however, because Kate loves her job and wouldn't want to do anything else. Her only regret is that it keeps her away too much from her beloved cat, an overweight beast which despises everyone.
What she doesn't regret is the distance it provides from her ex-husband, Jack.
In the course of her travels, Kate meets up with a handsome British war reporter, Miles. While she's trying to decide whether Miles is the one, Jack shows back up in her life. Even though he's introducing her to his new girlfriend, the old fire is still there. Instead of making a decision, Kate takes a leave of absence and flees.
In her absence, her boss, Ted gives her job to Miles who had been dying to try something new. Violet, who has been apartment and cat sitting, takes off with her boyfriend's band, leaving Kate to find a replacement. Luckily for Kate, Ted's wife has just kicked him out and he'll willingly take over apartment and cat duties instead of having to find his own apartment in New York.
Oddly enough, that's just the basic outline. The actual novel is much more complicated and absurd than I can describe. Kate is a delightful heroine. Not concerned in the least about the size of her thighs, whether anyone will ever love and actually enjoying her job makes her an attractive counterpoint to a lot of the novels about single women out there now.
A case in point is “Her” by Laura Zigman. Elise has just quit a job she thought she hated. It's her fiancé who's obsessive about his weight, and that's just one of his charming quirks. His habit of dropping his pants whenever he's upset is one of his more off putting ones.
Be that as it may, Elise comes completely unglued when Donald's ex-fiancée shows back up in his life. Adrienne is everything Elise is not. Even Elise's friends like her better.
The predictable stalking that occurs of course uncovers that Donald and Adrienne have some sort of secret. Naturally this secret has absolutely nothing to do with Donald and Elise's relationship and Elise eventually triumphs over Adrienne by marrying Donald.
The plot seems to come right out of a sit-com for pre-teens with adult issues thrown in to prove it's for grown-ups.
Zigman is capable of much better than this.
Lisa Dees is a freelance writer from Raleigh. She is a former Aberdeen resident.
