Billed as an African-American Bridget Jones's Diary, Siplin's debut explores the personal life of adjunct film professor Casey Beck, whose relationship with her boyfriend, John Paul, is threatened by the return of an ex-girlfriend, not to mention Casey's attraction to one of her students, a handsome firefighter named Josh. Mali, the ex, is alluring, manipulative and shameless; her reappearance provokes a crisis that brings to a head Casey's vague dissatisfaction with her life and career as she nears 30. She and her friends drift in and out of relationships and jobs, hovering listlessly between success and failure; the extent of their capacity for commitment seems to be a day at the laundromat. The aptly named Ariadne seems the closest to figuring out the tangled plots of the novel, or at the very least to escaping the labyrinth of hurt and revenge in which the rest of the cast is sadly stuck; she tries her hardest to hand Casey the thread, but to no avail. People seem to sleep with each other just because they can, a bit like eighth-graders competing for attention and making out behind the bleachers. Ethnicity never really enters into the story, except as a vague side note to the projected interracial romance between Casey and Josh, and when it comes down to it, none of the characters—even the slinky, sneaky Mali herself—hold much interest. They are uniformly self-absorbed and badly behaved, and the narrative lacks any of the self-conscious humor that might have saved it from itself. (June 11)
Forecast:Though calling Casey a black Bridget may spark initial sales, the comparison isn't accurate. A good number of people may buy
His Insignificant
Other, but they probably won't pass it on.
