The Big Love is the story of
Alison Hopkins, 32-years-old and a former evangelist Christian.  She lives in Philadelphia
and writes for a local alternative weekly newspaper, writing a column about her
life.  The book starts with her "live-in" boyfriend Tom leaving her
for another woman, throwing Alison into a crisis.  Tom is only her second
lover, and her previous lover broke up with her when she said she wanted to
start having sex.  He turned out to be gay.  Alison’s problems are then
compounded when she is passed over for a promotion, for an ex-Rolling Stone
writer, Hank.  She starts dating other men, which is not easy after a long
relationship when you are in your early thirties.  What’s more, she thinks she
is still in love with Tom.  Her feelings are confused, however, when she finds
herself having explosive sex with another man, Hank, her new boss. 

So Sarah Dunn’s first novel is
firmly in the genre of American chick-lit, which isn’t very different from
British chick-lit, of the Bridget Jones variety.  It has the essential
ingredient for any such novel, a neurotic heroine.  Alison has been in
psychotherapy for many years, and she has had more therapists than
sex-partners.  The whole book is about her search for true love and her
decision about who to be with.  There are already plenty of books in the genre,
but this is a worthy addition. Dunn’s writing is very appealing, because she
makes Alison a very entertaining storyteller.  Eliza Foss’s reading of the
unabridged audiobook is also strong, conveying the right balance of anxiety,
self-deprecation, bewilderment and righteous outrage at her situation.   

Sarah Dunn has previously written
for TV sitcoms such as Murphy Brown and Spin City, and this novel
is full of small details and anecdotes that would fit in well in shows like
those or in Sex in the City.  It is light in tone and very easy to
listen to or read.  Dunn seems to know her own limits, and doesn’t attempt to
plumb any great psychological depths.  Her heroine is quirky enough to be
engaging and interesting, and not so bizarre as to alienate readers.  The
central dynamic in the plot is Alison’s growth from being too forgiving of her
unfaithful boyfriend to coming to see what is really important to her and being
ready not to settle, and that’s edifying enough to make you feel pleased by the
last page. 

© 2005 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved. 

Christian
Perring, Ph.D., is Academic Chair of the Arts & Humanities
Division and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island.
He is also editor of Metapsychology Online Review.  His main
research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: Fiction, AudioBooks