Starting from Happy A Novel

by Marx, Patricia

• ISBN13: 9781439101292
• ISBN10: 1439101299
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-13
• Publisher: Scribner

Summary

"A poignant portrait of a long-term relationship, with all the disappointments and occasional triumphs that entails. A funny, sad and original take on the mating game" ( Kirkus Reviews).While waiting in line for apple pie at a party, Imogene Gilfeather, a lingerie designer who does not understand the reason for romance, meets Wally Yez, a scientist whose business card says "An Answer for Everything." Imogene is told that Wally is the perfect guy. ("Perfect," she replies, "is not my type.") He is told that her company, Featherware, manufactures intimates ( that gets his attention). Unfazed by Imogene's indifference, Wally resolves to win her over. E-mails turn into late-night phone calls; one date turns into two and then into more. Wally is certain he and Imogene are meant for each other (They both use mechanical pencils! Neither has had mumps! They are so alike!), but convincing his beloved is another matter. ("Do you know why it is I don't have pierced ears?" she asks. "Because it's too permanent.") In defiance of the odds, or the gods, or perhaps just Imogene's qualms, Wally and Imogene become a pair. They celebrate their anniversariesthe first time they touched each other on purpose, took public transportation together, saw the other with wet hair. But can they possibly end as happily as they've begun? Starting from Happy is a cunning and sophisticated send-up of coupledom that showcases one of the finest comic writers of our time.

Author Biography

Patricia Marx is a former writer for Saturday Night Live whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Time magazine, and The New York Times, among other publications. The first woman elected to the Harvard Lampoon, she is the author of a previous novel, Him Her Him Again The End of Him, which was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for Humor, as well as several humor books and children’s books.