Amra Pajalic

I’ve only read one novel so far this year. This is the price of revising.

Toni Jordan’s Addition is published by Text Publishing (who are my publisher). There has been buzz about this novel before it even came out. Apparently international rights were sold before it was on the shelves in Australia. So I’ve been looking forward to reading this novel for a while.

The blurb reads:

“Grace Lisa Vandenburg counts.

The letters in her name (19). The steps she takes every morning to the local café (920); the number of poppy seeds on her slice of orange cake, which dictates the number of bites she’ll take to finish it. Grace counts everything, because numbers hold the world together. And she needs to keep an eye on how they’re doing.

Seamus Joseph O’Reilly (also a 19, with the sexiest hands Grace has ever seen) thinks she might be better off without the counting. If she could hold down a job, say. Or open her kitchen cupboards without conducting an inventory, or make a sandwich containing an unknown number of sprouts.

Grace’s problem is that Seamus doesn’t count.

Her other problem is…he does.

Addition is a fabulous debut novel. Grace is witty, flirtatious and headstrong. She’s not a bit sentimental but even so, she may be about to lose track of the number of ways she can fall in love.”

This novel was sheer pleasure to read from page 1. Grace is a wry, self-aware narrator with great comical timing. Here is a scene introducing her love interest and one that made me laugh out loud.

Grace is doing her weekly shopping. She has a strict formula as to how many groceries she buys. She’s just noticed that there is something missing:

“What?

Count again.

How the fuck did I get 9 bananas in my trolley?

This is impossible. I look behind the eggs, behind the bag of beans. This is not possible.

The drug-adled multilevel marketer is standing behind the counter, smiling. Those teeth are money well spent. He’s got a smile like a Scientologist’s. Well, I’m going back. I can’t buy 9 bananas. He can wait while I go back to aisle 12 and get another.

Just as I am about to excuse myself, someone comes to a stop behind me with a basket hanging over his arm; now I’ll lose my spot. And I was here first. What kind of a Nigel No-friends is at the supermarket this early on a Saturday anyway? Must had a big Friday night with ‘Inspector Morse’ on DVD and a cup of hot cocoa. The Scientologist drug dealer is standing there. His smile is fading. He folds his arms.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Addition. It was marketed as a romance or love story and Jordan had actually attempted submitting to Mills and Boon. While this implies that it is a light read, it is Grace’s personality and her journey that brings depth.

I enjoyed the banter between Grace and Seamus and Jordan has been lauded for her sex scenes (which are earthy and erotic), but it is the deeper message of the book that gave me the most enjoyment. Grace says: “Individuality is a blessing, not a curse.” If only more people realised this and had greater tolerance for those who are different.

Jordan has used her light touch to bring to life a unique protagonist and take the reader on a heartfelt and joyous journey. If you’re looking for a great read with just the right touch of fun and heart, Addition is for you.

So I’ll point you to other more interesting people.

Josephine Damian attended a Donald Mass workshop. Here is blog post part 1 and part 2 outlining what she learnt. It’s well worth reading. She’s also running a first page contest. And to top it off she has two other cool blogs. The first is her Forensics Diary about her adventures as a Criminal Forensics Studies. The second is Quote it Write with inspirational quotes about writing.

Sandra Ruttan featured a must see clip from You Tube. Watch it now.