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Book Reviews of The Object of My Affection

The Object of My Affection
The Object of My Affection
Author: Stephen McCauley
ISBN-13: 9780671020668
ISBN-10: 0671020668
Publication Date: 4/1/1998
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 19

3.2 stars, based on 19 ratings
Publisher: Pocket
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

5 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Object of My Affection on + 313 more book reviews
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."
reviewed The Object of My Affection on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Very witty writing; interesting characters; good sense of NYC/Brooklyn
ilovedale3 avatar reviewed The Object of My Affection on + 524 more book reviews
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.
reviewed The Object of My Affection on
This is one of my favorites.
reviewed The Object of My Affection on + 52 more book reviews
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..."