Despite its title, there is remarkably little romance in this academic novel. It is written in the third person, from the point of view of Mark Sternum, who teaches at a New England college. His one class is a small seminar in creative writing, and he doesn’t even teach that on his own. His co-teacher is “the Professor,” whose identity is only revealed late in the game. The book starts at the beginning of the semester, and follows it through. There are many threads in the plot, both in Mark’s own life and in his following the progress of his seminar students. His boyfriend has gone off to Italy so all we see of their relationship are their occasional communications. If there’s any love really examined here, it’s Mark’s commitment to his students, both in helping them to learn how to write and more widely, in becoming prepared for life after college. Downing himself is a creative writing professor at Tufts University, so he knows of what he writes, and it is a convincing portrait of a professor’s life. Mark has to deal with politicking Deans, ridiculous committee meetings, and unending emails. He also has an unreliable car and he is terrible at using a microwave oven. He fits many academic caricatures. The book is often funny and is occasionally moving. But its great strength is in the creative writing exercises that Mark gives his students. These are technical exercises with requirements for how many words should be used, plot elements to include, whether it is written in the first or third person, whether the narrator is omniscient, and so on. They are entertaining and stimulating. Thinking about these and seeing how Mark himself solves the problems he sets his students will probably make readers what to try some of the exercises themselves.

The audiobook performance by George Newbern is energetic and full of character, although it could have done with being a bit more world weary.

© 2019 Christian Perring

Christian Perring teaches in NYC.