By chance this morning, there was a small notice in the morning paper about a class action suit against a couple of cruise lines for robo-calling. I was hoping, having received such calls at least once a day, that I’d been the “victim” of this scam, but my number wasn’t listed – pity, it might have been worth $900. But the premise of this amusing novel hangs on such a device. A real person is at the other end of the phone, but the idea is the same. Edsel Bronfman, the hapless 34-year-old nerd who answers the call from Operator 61217, is informed that he has won a free vacation at a condo in Destin FL. The catch, the operator tells him, is that he has only 79 days to activate this offer and he must bring a companion. About the only thing close to a companion that Edsel has is his aging, spirited, and just a little demented mother. Father was a one-night and has never been identified. Over the course of the novel, three possible candidates to meet this “requirement” present themselves, or so it seems to Edsel. It’s a tender-hearted and compassionate look at this limited individual and a fun romantic comedy. Reminiscent of The Rosie project. 328 pp.
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