Charlotte Street

November 19, 2012
Wallace's delightful debut is the story of the hapless Jason Priestley (no, not that Jason Priestley), formerly an uninspiring teacher of uninspirable youth, now a reviewer of, among other things, "irritatingly forgettable" restaurants with names like "AbraKebabra" and "Pizza the Action." Although he's been dumped by girlfriend Sarah, Jason can't bring himself to unfriend her on Facebook; consequently, he is forced to read Sarah's "having the time of my life" status updates, while the best he can muster is "eating some soup." He now shares a questionable flat above a videogame shop with the owner and Jason's best friend, Dev. A chance encounter with a pretty stranger on Charlotte Street leaves Jason accidentally in possession of her disposable camera, though not of her name. At Dev's insistence, they develop the photos. Thereby hangs a tale, which wends its witty way through a road trip to Yorkshire with an auto mechanic, several run-ins with an angry political puppeteer, and a foray to a posh event promoting juices with acai. A lively supporting cast, including the Polish waitress Dev pines for, helps and/or thwarts Jason in pursuit of his mysterious stranger. The combination of Dickensian plot twists and Hornbyesque humor and hope makes for a thoroughly entertaining read. Agent: Simon Trewin, William Morris Endeaver (U.K.)

October 1, 2012

Wallace is perhaps best known for his humorous social experiments, as evidenced in the book and subsequent film adaptation Yes Man, about his agreeable year of saying yes to everything. Here, hye injects his humor into a hapless and comically named protagonist, Jason Priestly. A struggling freelance journalist for a city weekly, Jason finds meaning in life through a chance encounter with a woman and the disposable camera she left behind. Along with his friend Dev, who runs a used video-game store, Jason pieces together the clues from each photo in an attempt to discover the identity and whereabouts of this mystery woman. The chase results in fabricated art reviews, dubious ethical judgments, and elbow rubbing with London's public relations elite. Though lighthearted in tone, the novel speaks to a nostalgia for a time when photographs were authentic and unsullied by smartphone filters. VERDICT Wallace does a masterly job of transforming characters in an arrested state of development into heroic defenders of authentic experience. Readers who enjoy the work of Nick Hornby or Stephen Chbosky will enjoy this debut novel.--Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2012
Londoner Jason Priestley may share a name with the cute, former cast member of Beverly Hills 90210, but the excitement in this thirtysomething's life starts and ends there. The lackluster lad spends his days writing snarky reviews for a local rag sheet and pining over the girl who left him. (She's marrying someone else; wouldn't you just know?) Then a chance encounter with a lovely lass on a busy downtown street turns Jason's life upside down. Her smile leaves a lasting impression. But there's more: she dropped a disposable camera, whose undeveloped pictures would undoubtedly provide clues to her whereabouts. Is it ethical to have them processed? Jason pushes the limits of propriety in pursuit of romance, along the way receiving dating tips from his roommate Dev, a quirky video-game-shop owner also obsessed with a woman well beyond his reach. Will Jason find love or have his heart broken yet again? Award-winning British writer Wallace (Friends like These, 2009) serves up a mildly amusing tale of an innocuous stalker who meets a beautiful girl.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)