Starting from Square Two
Grade : B-

Starting from Square Two is a leisurely, thoughtful novel about grief, friendship, loneliness, and appreciation of things lost that might never be found again.

Gert Healy is a 29 year old widow who never expected to be in social limbo. Her husband Marc was her college sweetheart. She loved him, respected him, admired him, enjoyed being with him, and loved being a part of his family. Gert and Marc dated for three years and were married for five. They had plans for a family and a long life together, but now Gert only has her condo and a set of bitter single friends, Hallie and Erika, whom she suspects might be enjoying her "comedown" into singledom. Dating is something she doesn't know how to do anymore and doesn't feel ready for, but Hallie and Erika push her back out into the world of men - a world they don't particularly like themselves but feel compelled to succeed in. On her very first foray out, Gert meets someone nice: a kind man. But he's younger than she is and not a driven overachiever. Most importantly, he's not Marc. Will she ever be able to get over her grief and move on to something better?

Since this is Chick Lit and not a romance, Gert's new relationship doesn't get the spotlight too often. The reader learns much more about Marc, her deceased husband, in fact, and it is easy to share Gert's grief at his death. He was a great guy, and they did have something special together. Gert's grief process seemed very real to me. I've never lost a husband, but I have experienced other loss, and her thoughts and conclusions often seemed surprisingly parallel to my own. The book contains a great deal of internal monologue, and some of it was exceptionally touching.

Lissner portrays a very different kind of female friendship dynamic here than found in many Chick Lit books. Gert spends a great deal of time with her friends Erika and Hallie, but she doesn't wholly like them or feel comfortable around them. She senses their jealousy of both her relationship with Marc and her new relationship and wonders if they are glad she now has to deal with the pitfalls of being single. Gert watches them trying to snag dates and disagrees with their tactics. She thinks they are desperate and they let it show. She wonders if they would have more success if they were more relaxed, if they played the game less like a game. Erika in particular makes her uncomfortable. Erika never got over her ex and is currently stalking his wife - checking her weblog everyday and making snide comments and innuendos. Gert wonders if her behavior will escalate. But despite feeling uncomfortable, she still spends time with them because her married support system has evaporated away, and they are all she has.

Though Lissner's writing is good, the pacing in the last half of the book drags a bit, and since the book is so character driven - and, more specifically grief-driven - the only movement in that last half is driven by the secondary plot. Quite frankly, I wasn't entirely comfortable with that resolution. Erika and Hallie struck me as shallow, selfish, and self-absorbed, and I wish Gert had come to a different conclusion about their mutual friendship.

I would recommend Starting from Square Two to anyone who likes a more muted everyday type of drama in their fiction. Gert was a very nice character to spend time with, and her emotional journey was interesting to watch. I may just have to search out Lissner's previous release, Carrie Pilby.

Reviewed by Rachel Potter
Grade : B-
Book Type: Chick Lit

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : April 20, 2004

Publication Date: 2004

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