Books: “Romantic Comedy” by Curtis Sittenfeld

Okay, so let’s say you consider yourself a semi-attractive guy or gal, a solid B-plus. Through work or circumstances, you meet someone who is an A-plus-plus AND just happens to be a celebrity. You sense the two of you have chemistry but you shrug it off, thinking this cannot possibly be. But what if, just maybe, it could?

That’s the central, guilty-pleasure idea behind Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest novel “Romantic Comedy.” The protagonist is Sally Milz, a New York-based,late-thirty-something writer for “The Night Owls” (TNO), a Saturday-night entertainment show that’s obviously SNL. When Noah, a sexy thirty-something pop singer (think a combination of the young Pete Yorn and Chris Isaak) is chosen to guest-host the show, he and Sally work together on a skit for a week, and a friendship develops. Could it be something more than a friendship?

Full disclosure: I know virtually nothing about what goes into the preparation of an SNL show. Nor have I ever heard of Sittenfeld, a New Yorker writer who’s apparently written a number of best-selling novels.

But her sharp sense of humor, along with the seemingly authentic details she provides of Sally’s life as a staff writer for a hot TV show, somehow makes “Romantic Comedy” a delish summer read. If you’re like me, you’ll polish it off in a day, maybe two days, tops. Then you’ll recommend it highly to your friends. Like I’m doing.

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