Talking to Addison

Jenny Colgan's second novel, <I>Talking to Addison</I>, arrives with a flourish following the success of her debut, <I>Amanda's Wedding</I>. Sharp, quirky one-liners complement merciless observations of human foibles and the London scene to make this romantic comedy a cut above the rest.<p> The story opens with the modern-day heroine Holly trapped in the flat-share from hell with members of Scary Clean Freaks Incorporated, ruled by the obnoxious Carol who "dispensed ... Robert de Niro-to-doomed gangster stares." Even when Holly escapes the suburban inquisition, life still isn't a bed of roses--she's an unemployed florist, in love with a recluse, and being bullied. She's in good company, though, when she moves in with a bunch of equally maladjusted misfits: Josh, a terminally nice boy, has issues; Kate, the high-flying, no-nonsense career girl, wilts every time a married man comes along; and then there's Addison, the drop-dead-gorgeous lodger ("Johnny Depp in geek form") who never leaves his room, already has a girlfriend (albeit over the Internet), and is a certified <I>Star Trek</I> fan.<p> With <I>Talking to Addison</I>, Colgan ties together her comedic talents and her flair for storytelling to create an offbeat, hilarious tale about an ordinary girl's search for Mr. Right--with the inevitable Mr. Oddballs getting in the way. <I>--Nicola Perry, Amazon.co.uk</I>