Which Brings Me to You: a Novel in Confessions, by Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott

After reading a number of excellent, but depressing, literary novels in a row, I turned to this “epistolary novel” recommended by Library Journal for something lighter. The main characters meet at a wedding reception, fall into each other’s arms in the coat closet, then at the penultimate moment back off for fear of ruining something that might just turn out to be “the real thing.” They decide to put this budding attraction to the test by writing letters from their separate cities to get to know each other first. How very non-traditional! In some ways this book was also somewhat self-consciously literary (both authors teach writing and each has written successful novels previously) and the often sad or empty sex encounters relayed in their back-and-forth correspondence were in their own way more depressing than titillating. It made for a nice break, however. 300 pp.