Cover Snapshot of Read Books

Sara's bookshelf: read

Crazy Little Thing
A Kiss at Midnight
The Disenchanted Widow
Hollywood Wives - The New Generation
There Goes the Bride
Table for Five
Do Not Disturb
The Husband's Secret
The Ugly Duchess
Help for the Haunted
The Power Trip
Flawless
The Haunting of Maddy Clare
Fame
Summer At Willow Lake
Barefoot
Every Crooked Nanny
The Mystery Woman
The Woodcutter
How to Be an American Housewife


Sara's favorite books »

Friday, November 19, 2010

Add It Up with Addition

Addition is the title of a paperback fiction novel which was written by Toni Jordan.

Vibrant and intelligent, Grace is an engaging character who happens to have a love of numbers and a need to count almost everything. Grace’s thoughts race as she goes through numbers in her head—thinking about roman numerals, the time, the date, the number of degrees it is outside and so forth. Diagnosed with OCD, Grace seems to count as she breathes, noting each poppy seed on her daily orange cake. For Grace everything revolves around steps and structure. Having limited interaction with people, Grace has a very lonely life until the day her favorite cafĂ© is full and she cannot find a table. When a handsome stranger asks her to sit with him, a potential new relationship is formed. Grace is sarcastic and smart and the thoughts she shares with the reader are forthright and refreshing. Grace’s family accepts her but doesn’t work to understand her or what her life has become. Meanwhile, Seamus is interested in pursuing a relationship with her—something she will have to analyze and contemplate. How will Grace handle the interruptions and complexities of adding a relationship to her life?

This novel was a perfect book club selection as it was funny, endearing, and richly observant in the idiosyncrasies of an Obsessive Compulsive person. This book could be termed a romantic comedy with a slightly flawed but still poignant protagonist. I did have a few “As Good as it Gets” images of Jack Nicholson stepping over all the cracks on the sidewalk…but overall a lovingly told story that has an interesting perspective and humorous disposition.

One of my favorite little quotes from the book reflects Grace’s sarcasm:
“He’s wearing jeans again today, on a Friday. Great. Not only does he have no friends but he’s also unemployed.”
Wry, observant, and funny--who hasn’t had those thoughts? Grace resonated with me and with the rest of my book club. At 254 trade paperback pages, this novel is short and sweet; perfect when your club needs a break from the too literal.