This was a great first attempt by journalist Leah McLaren. I wanted
to read it way back when she published an article about buying her
farmhouse so she could write her first novel, but then forgot about
it only to recently discover it at my local library. Maybe I was
expecting a lot because I enjoy her columns. I find they are witty
and introspective, however, this did not translate to a piece of
work over 300 words.
Ironically enough, there were some continuity problems with the
novel. For example, the importance of olfactory glands was
emphasized more in the beginning and the end. (Thinking about it
now, maybe it was a reflection of the importance of pheromones in
mate selection and it was only important when she was meeting a man
for the first time.) Whether it was only important when she met
someone, or just a forgotten character trait in the middle of the
novel, it seemed too eccentric for the character.
It is as though the whole book was written as short anecdotes and
then pieced together with some filler. The book followed a rise and
fall pattern of excitement and interesting character developments
which again added to the discontinuity.
The fact is, this was the first book by Leah McLaren and I think
that overall the fresh air did some good cause it was a very good
first attempt at writing over 300 words at once.