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DOES SHE OR DOESN’T SHE? is set in contemporary Manhattan, New York, and
is about a young mother, Delilah, who strives hard to keep her daily
life in order and can’t help fantasizing wild sex scenes to perk up
her dull life. This novel is a contemporary romance in a modern city,
filled with all the trivialities and problems a working mom can face
living in New York, as well as a lethal mystery.
Delilah Levine, a soap opera writer and the mom of Sadie, her preschool
daughter, seems to be thinking more of her own career than her untidy
flat and disorderly life of her family. Her disinterested husband,
Jason, works for a product company and seems to despise her careless
attitude. Then, one day, a sexy plumber appears and her life starts to
get a new exciting turn.
Ford is the sexy plumber who is hired to fix the leaky pipes in Delilah’s
bedroom closet, but he is also a spy. He is soon involved in a mystery, along with Del and Jason and a couple of other people in the
neighborhood. Ford is now the hero of Del’s fantasy life, but he is
also very attracted by her in real life. But how is all this mess
going to end up? There
is a mystery unfolding, and someone wants Delilah dead.
Does her husband want her dead? What is going to happen to her
marriage? Is Ford the man of her life? Will she have a relationship
with him? Who is spying who in this story, and why?
This novel is a modern romance that is bizarre, witty and unique in
every aspect. The story is fresh and real life looking. Almost each
chapter starts with a fantasy part. The heroine can’t help daydreaming
and fantasizing a wild passionate scene with the man of her dreams, the
new plumber. The way this story is written is quite innovative. It
follows a diary-like style and there are first person entries. It is
humorous at times, yet moving when Sadie plays her role. Many moms will
identify with Del and her daughter, their way of thinking and their
lifestyle perhaps. It feels like reading a true life story, not a
fiction one, and I’ve found this very appealing.
The fantasy part of the book is also an aspect that many women would
welcome, as they may also have experienced similar feelings in every
day life. The components of the story, the working mom, the dull
husband, the attractive new man, etc, comprise a good recipe for
success. A common scenario with a big question: Does she, or doesn’t
she? I think every woman would like to change her life, so this novel
is a good read for all women and why not, men who want to understand how
women think!
The plot is unpredictable, yet filled with real life incidents along
with some extreme action. It sounds truthful and it is highly
entertaining to the very end. The suspense of the mystery grows slowly
but mounts towards the end of the story. There is a great deal of
passion and sex scenes, and the ending is certainly unexpected, but
positive. There is a lot of dialogue that works fine, it is smart,
funny and enhances the story. The POV is steady at first person, apart
from the fantasy parts which are in the third person.
The characters are strong and passionate and the readers will need to
read the whole novel to the end to get to know what will eventually
happen to them .
The author, Alisa Kwitney, a former comic book editor for the Vertigo
imprint of DC comics, has an MFA from
Columbia
University’s writing program and lives with her husband and two children
in New York City.
Reviewed by Liana Metal
for The Road to Romance
January 19, 2004 |
