Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Subgenre: contemporary romance
Release date: 6 Apr 2023
Publisher: Random House
Format: ebook and print
Length: 320 pages
RRP: $12.99 (ebook); $32.99 (print)
I’ve read Eligible by this acclaimed author, a modern rewrite of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice . It’s funny, bold and confronting, in contrast to the delicate sensibilities of the classic P&P. In hindsight I truly didn’t appreciate what Curtis Sittenfeld was doing, so I sense a re-read coming up.
Romantic Comedy has no boundaries, no fore-runner to emulate, except maybe every rom-com seen, read and loved by romance fans. Forget what you might expect in a ‘rom-com’ and just read along for the sheer fun of this clever book. Just remember, ‘Life is (not)* a romantic comedy.’
(*delete as appropriate)
Sally Milz is a script writer for the successful long-running TV comedy show, The Night Owls . She’s divorced (it was a ‘starter marriage’), works crazy hours in a high intensity environment, and probably doesn’t get enough sleep. She also thinks outside the box and is not afraid to write sketches that push the censorship boundaries—and they work.
She shares an office with Danny Horst, a fairly ordinary, daggy chap who has managed to romantically snare a beautiful celebrity guest on the show, Annabel. They’re crazy in love. Other ordinary looking men working for the show have done the same thing and hooked up with stunning women celebrities. Sally calls it ‘The Danny Horst Effect’ and pitches a segment called exactly that.
It irks Sally the reverse never seems to work. A ‘gorgeous male celebrity’ never falls for ‘an ordinary, dorky, unkempt woman. Never.’
Cue Noah Brewster’s arrival as guest host on the show, an incredibly hot, handsome, millionaire musician. He seems involved, decent, and appreciative of the work that goes into writing the show. He also seems to enjoy writing a segment with Sally, and they sort of spark together.
If you think this is a romance that’s going to progress in a conventional manner, think again. Noah and Sally never quite do what you’d expect, and their relationship staggers on, off, and on, through the first savage worldwide COVID lockdown and other dramas. I loved the email section in the middle, which was the easiest way they could communicate.
This is intelligent, bitingly funny metafiction. The insecurities and triumphs of ‘ordinary’ and ‘famous’ people are written with a deft hand, and it’s all wildly entertaining. The notion of ‘romantic comedy’ is turned on its head—and the book becomes a stronger romantic comedy because of exactly that. Well done Curtis Sittenfeld.
reviewed by Malvina
A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.
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