Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Single

by: Heather McElhatton

Published by: Harper Paperbacks

Reviewed by Krista Quinn

I was immediately intrigued by the title of Heather McElhatton’s second novel, Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Single and I dove right in.

The protagonist, Jennifer Johnson, is a chubby thirty-year-old Midwestern girl. She works at a local department story writing slogans to help the company market and sell various products. A chance meeting with the department store owner’s handsome son Brad leads the unlikely pair to begin dating—and suddenly Jennifer has achieved her goal of no longer being single. But, as the relationship progresses, Jennifer has to decide if getting everything she ever wanted will really make her happy.

Overall the book was a bit disappointing. At times I felt like McElhatton was trying too hard to make this a different kind of chick lit, when really, it’s an average specimen of the genre. Jennifer has a younger sister who is getting married, a gay sidekick/best friend, a loathsome set of co-workers, a pain in the butt for a boss, and a cat. These are all archetypal characters, and while they are laugh-out-loud funny at times, it’s not enough to classify this novel as truly unique. At some points, it even borders on strange. For example, Jennifer has some very odd hobbies. Her apartment is cluttered with vintage kitsch, like a Hello Kitty toaster, broken lava lamps, Kewpie dolls and nude Geisha prints. For fun, she plays with a dollhouse, rearranging the figures sometimes in naughty ways.

Another problem is the way Jennifer’s story ends. The ending is decidedly more realistic than the rest of the book—and by realistic I mean that it is closer to what would actually happen in real life—and for that reason, it just doesn’t fit.

I’m a big fan of chick lit; I enjoy a fun, satisfying read about a single, working girl dealing with the trial and tribulations of life. But chick lit has grown and evolved since its inception and while I applaud Heather McElhatton for reaching for the higher echelons of the genre, I’m not sure this novel actually lands there.

Armchair Interviews says: Heather McElhatton is a writer and independent producer for Public Radio International. Her commentaries and stories have been heard nationally on This American Life, Marketplace, Weekend America, Sound Money and The Savvy Traveler. She also produced the radio literary series Talking Volumes.

Author’s Web site: http://www.PrettyLittleMistakes.com