Helpful Score: 3
It's no mistake that Stephen McCauley's The Object of My Affection ends at a carnival, for the book is, shockingly enough, not about ballroom dancing or Jennifer Aniston's hair, but rather a funny, bittersweet rumination on the thrill rides we endure and the trick mirrors through which we peer, all in the name of relationships.
George is a gay kindergarten teacher, holding a torch of the inextinguishable variety for his not-worth-it ex-boyfriend. Nina is a pregnant "almost-psychologist" feminist with a nail-polish obsession and an overbearing boyfriend. The focus of the novel is certainly on the relationship between these two, but McCauley also brings an entire fictional ensemble to life, richly nuanced with quirky humor. After a night utterly devoid of sleep, romance, or even physical comfort on a stranger's futon, George decides to cut his losses and leave in the middle of the night, silently wondering about his generation's aversion to mattresses: "I've never trusted people who feel compelled to replace them with uncomfortable, expensive substitutes." As he leaves, his blind date caps off the evening with some unsolicited dietary advice, advising him that he should really cut down on dairy. "Thanks," George deadpans. "I've been meaning to eliminate it from my diet. This should give me the extra push."
The Object of My Affection gets you to care about this screwed-up lot of characters as they attempt to force the square peg of life-as-it-is-wished into the round hole of life-as-it-is. It offers no pat resolutions but rather an overall sense of hope, made all the more believable by the fact that the author has not frantically tried to tie up every single loose end. Instead, George, Nina, and those who touch them manage to push off from their unreasonably idealistic visions of the future and anchor, albeit tenuously, to the blessings of the present, resolved to remain standing amidst the forces that move them, as McCauley writes, "as inevitable as death and much stronger than love."
George is a gay kindergarten teacher, holding a torch of the inextinguishable variety for his not-worth-it ex-boyfriend. Nina is a pregnant "almost-psychologist" feminist with a nail-polish obsession and an overbearing boyfriend. The focus of the novel is certainly on the relationship between these two, but McCauley also brings an entire fictional ensemble to life, richly nuanced with quirky humor. After a night utterly devoid of sleep, romance, or even physical comfort on a stranger's futon, George decides to cut his losses and leave in the middle of the night, silently wondering about his generation's aversion to mattresses: "I've never trusted people who feel compelled to replace them with uncomfortable, expensive substitutes." As he leaves, his blind date caps off the evening with some unsolicited dietary advice, advising him that he should really cut down on dairy. "Thanks," George deadpans. "I've been meaning to eliminate it from my diet. This should give me the extra push."
The Object of My Affection gets you to care about this screwed-up lot of characters as they attempt to force the square peg of life-as-it-is-wished into the round hole of life-as-it-is. It offers no pat resolutions but rather an overall sense of hope, made all the more believable by the fact that the author has not frantically tried to tie up every single loose end. Instead, George, Nina, and those who touch them manage to push off from their unreasonably idealistic visions of the future and anchor, albeit tenuously, to the blessings of the present, resolved to remain standing amidst the forces that move them, as McCauley writes, "as inevitable as death and much stronger than love."
Helpful Score: 2
Very witty writing; interesting characters; good sense of NYC/Brooklyn
Helpful Score: 1
Beautifully written novel. The love and affection between George and Nina is palpable, even though George is gay. The incredibly tender way that his need for love and his subsequent heartbreaks are written make this story a must-read.
This is one of my favorites.
The Object of My Affection (fiction)
from back of book:
"When twenty-six-year-old George Mullen is kicked out by his lover, Robert, he moves into the terminally disordered apartment of Nina Borowski- and the most complicated friendship of his life. At first their relationship is as easy as their cozy tuna-loaf suppers and ballroom dancing classes at Arthur Murray... while Nina waits for inspiration to write her psychology dissertation and George teaches kindergarten. Then Nina announces whe's pregnant by her boyfriend, Howard. Howard wants marriage. Nina wants independence. George will do almost anything for a little unqualified affection. But he's not sure about his new role as surrogate unwed father..."
from back of book:
"When twenty-six-year-old George Mullen is kicked out by his lover, Robert, he moves into the terminally disordered apartment of Nina Borowski- and the most complicated friendship of his life. At first their relationship is as easy as their cozy tuna-loaf suppers and ballroom dancing classes at Arthur Murray... while Nina waits for inspiration to write her psychology dissertation and George teaches kindergarten. Then Nina announces whe's pregnant by her boyfriend, Howard. Howard wants marriage. Nina wants independence. George will do almost anything for a little unqualified affection. But he's not sure about his new role as surrogate unwed father..."
