Talking to Addison

Talking To AddisonJenny Colgan’s second novel Talking to Addison arrives with a flourish following the success of her debut Amanda’s Wedding. Sharp, quirky one-liners complement merciless observations of human foibles and the London scene to make this romantic comedy a cut above the rest.

The story opens with the modern-day heroine Holly trapped in the flatshare from hell with members of “Scary Clean Freaks Incorporated”, ruled by the obnoxious Carol who “dispensed … Robert de Niro-to-doomed gangster stares”. Even when Holly escapes the suburban inquisition, life still isn’t a bed of roses: she’s an unemployed florist, in love with a recluse and she’s being bullied. She’s in good company though when she moves in with a bunch of equally maladjusted misfits: Josh, a terminally nice boy, has issues; Kate, the high-flying and no-nonsense career girl, wilts every time a married man comes along and then there’s Addison–the drop-dead-gorgeous lodger (“Johnny Depp in geek form”)–who never leaves his room, already has a girlfriend (albeit over the Internet) and is a certified Trekkie fan.

With Talking to Addison, Colgan ties together her comedic talents with her flair for storytelling to create an offbeat, hilarious tale about an ordinary girl’s search for Mr Right with the inevitable Mr Oddballs getting in the way. —Nicola Perry