Losing It

In this charming second novel from the author of The Patterns of Paper Monsters, a frustrated 26-year-old virgin relocates to Durham, N.C., for a summer in a last ditch effort to lose her virginity. After moving in with her eccentric, spinsterish aunt Viv, Julia Greenfield takes on a menial clerical job at a law firm, where she meets and develops a fast crush on lawyer Elliot. The reader soon gleans what Julia learns only later: Elliot is less available than he seems, Aunt Viv has her own relationship issues, and Julia’s taste in men hints that she suffers from a kind of romantic amnesia. These tensions are brought to a predictable but enjoyable climax, in which Julia complicates her relationships with Elliot and Aunt Viv. Deeper than it lets on, the book’s distinct delight is the nimble dance its author plays with the somewhat frivolous conceit, embracing its pulpiness to entertain, and pushing it to surprising places. (July)