
Out of nowhere, after a four-year relationship, Jen has broken up with Andy and Andy is devastated. Feeling blindsided, Andy obsessively tries to figure out why this happened, prodding his friends for clues, stalking Jen’s Instagram, even faking an identity with a therapist in order to see if she can figure out why this might have happened. He is truly and utterly lost. After repeatedly making bad decisions and floundering in his career, he slowly emerges from the depths. And when we finally hear Jen’s side of things, we begin to understand.
I almost didn’t make it through this book. Andy’s character is self-absorbed, indulgently obsessive, even adolescent, and his wallowing grows tedious. How many times can we watch him drink himself silly, make terrible decisions, and then question why he is failing? And while Andy is certainly kind, tolerant, and occasionally funny (he is a comedian, after all), he is also hopeless.
The only redeeming part of the book is when we hear Jen’s side, which comes ever so late. This is like a breath of fresh air, an adult is finally in the room. We are relieved.
You’re welcome: I just read this so you don’t have to!