Attachments

Laura Hamilton delivers the story of Lincoln O'Neill, hopeless loner, whose job as "Internet security officer" makes him responsible for monitoring office emails. Hamilton further defines the state of Lincoln's life with portraits of his shrewish mother and nagging sister. In contrast, the interspersed rapid-fire email exchanges of employees Beth and Jennifer are delivered in upbeat tones. The emails vary from worries about pregnancy to what to wear at a wedding from a closet of "dead prom dresses." All of these emails emphasize the humor of the author's writing and the playful warmth of the young women's friendship. Hamilton's charming portrayals make it easy to understand why the lethargic, wounded Lincoln is captivated by the energetic communiqués and develops a crush on one of the authors. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

January 17, 2011
In sweet, silly, and incredibly long digital missives, best newsroom pals Beth and Jennifer trade gossip over their romances—Beth with her marriage-phobic boyfriend, Chris, and Jennifer with her baby-mania-stricken husband, Mitch. What they don't know is that the newly hired computer guy, Lincoln, an Internet security officer charged with weeding out all things unnecessary or pornographic, is reading their messages. But lonely Lincoln lets the gals slide on their inappropriate office mail and gets hooked on their soapy dalliances, falling head over heels for the unlucky-in-love Beth. Debut novelist and real-life newspaper columnist Rowell has the smarts for this You've Got Mail–like tale of missed connections, but what doesn't work so well is the firewall between the traditional narrative reserved for Lincoln's emergence from shy guy to Beth's guy, and heroines who are confined to the e-epistolary format. Despite the structural problems, there's enough heart and humor to save these likable characters from the recycle bin.