Romantic Comedy – Curtis Sittenfeld
Expectation: A smart, timely commentary on celebrity culture and self-esteem.
Reality: All of that plus laugh out loud funny. I was compulsively entertained from start-to-finish.
My Take:
I’ll keep this short and sweet; I loved this novel.
While there were some elements that felt predictable and recursive, it was also incredibly smart and funny. How Curtis Sittenfeld balanced this dichotomy is nothing short of amazing.
As the title suggests, this is a romantic comedy, and even as someone who doesn’t gravitate towards this genre, I was charmed — laughing out loud frequently and smiling regularly. In other words, this was one of the most wholly-enjoyable novels I’ve read in a long time.
Still, it’s not without faults:
While setting the story in a fictional “Saturday Night Live” (called “The Night Owls”), and in the first pandemic summer offers accessibility, you could argue there’s nothing original about fictionalizing real experiences. This is Sittenfeld’s brand, and when you do it as well as her, I’m not going to complain.
Our main character, Sally, is a borderline genre stereotype — professionally successful, personally unfulfilled and chronically overlooked because she’s not classically attractive. Therefore she feels unworthy of Noah, who is handsome, fit and has dated models. You can only leverage this so long before it feels whiny.
A few plot elements — the paparazzi drama and visit to Kansas City — were necessary for conflict, but they weren’t particularly compelling. Sittenfeld initially incorporated the pandemic in a realistic and meaningful way but then relegated it to a plot device.
Minor criticisms aside, Sittenfeld elevated the more cliched moments with astute social commentary. As a society we are conditioned to believe, through celebrity and pop culture, that people must stay within an attractiveness range — connection and intelligence, be damned — and anyone working outside of this belief is somehow gaming the system. (Just look at early coverage of Keanu Reeves’ relationship for proof).
This idea of relationship worthiness is tackled head on, and from a few different angles. First, in Sally’s “Danny Horst Rule” skit where she perpetuates the idea at the expense of her colleague (think Colin Jost) who is dating the “It” actress (think Scarlett Johannason) when he’s perceived as beneath her.
Then in Sally’s initial feelings towards Noah, and how she fails to accept his interest in her as anything other than platonic. And finally in how the media reacts to the initial public reaction of their relationship and what that does to Sally’s self-esteem.
It’s obvious that Sally doesn’t believe she deserves happiness and self-sabotages as a defense mechanism. This is relatable to many readers, but I wish that Sittenfeld wouldn’t have put so much emphasis on Sally’s appearance to make this point while giving Noah near sainthood and patience.
Yet, even through the moments that felt too convenient, I was consistently entertained. This was, in my opinion, the very definition of a feel good read, and we all need some of those from time-to-time. If you take it for what it is — a more sophisticated beach read — you’ll find a lot to enjoy.
The audiobook was narrated by Kristen Sieh who had impeccable comedic timing, and who made the dialogue between Noah and Sally flow naturally. While it was a rather no frills affair, she struck the right emotional tone throughout. Noah had a borderline gruff male voice (popularized by Julia Whelan), but, thankfully, she added a little softness to match his inclusive personality.
I would be shocked if this didn’t become a movie produced by Lorne Michaels, so naturally I had to cast it in my head while reading. Jenny Slate, Maggie Gyllenhaal or Elisabeth Moss would each make a great Sally, and Bradley Cooper, Chris Hemsworth or Jamie Dornan could all pull off the sensitive singer-songwriter Noah.
Rating (story): 5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 4/5 stars
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: May 14 – May 17, 2023
Multi-tasking: Good to go, but this story is so enjoyable you’ll want to spend time focusing on it. I recommend activities like walking and bike riding.
