Review - Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton
published 2008 (UK), 4/09 (US)
352 pages


Synopsis from publisher:

This is the story of Mina, a girl at a Sheffield call centre whose next customer in the queue is Peter, a Cambridge geography don who has crashed his car into a tree stump when swerving to avoid a cat. Despite their obvious differences, they've got a lot in common -- both single, both parents, both looking for love. Could it be that they've just found it? CROSSED WIRES is an old-fashioned fairy tale. It is about the small joys and tribulations of parenthood; about one-ness and two-ness; about symmetry and coincidence; about the things that separate us and the things that bring us together.

My thoughts:

This was such a charming novel. Part of that, I think, was the sheer English-ness of it -you know how everything sounds better with a British accent? (I know, that's a horribly American thing for me to say, but its true...) Reading this novel, I heard that British accent in my head, and it just made the experience so much fun.

But more than that, this is a great bit of storytelling. The romance is there, but it takes a backseat to the stories of Mina and Peter's lives - their frustrations with work, their difficulties being single parents, their somewhat crazy friends - these everyday situations make up the heart of the novel, and make this a delightful read.

Having said that, I really enjoyed the development of Mina and Peter's relationship. From their first random telephone conversation, to the steps each takes to "find" each other again, I found myself hoping for a happy ending for them from the start. Their slow, tentative steps toward each other almost made me hold my breath, so that when they finally met face to face, I almost had to cheer. Everything about it had a ring of truth, and I was completely satisfied when I turned the last page.

I definitely recommend this lovely novel. I enjoyed it from beginning to end! I will be looking for more work by this wonderful author.

Finished: 6/18/09
Source: Rosy Thornton
Rating: 8/10

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