MY LEGENDARY GIRLFRIEND

The young protagonist of Mr. Commitment struggles with an over-the-top case of romantic despair in Gayle's muddled second U.S. publication (actually his first novel). It recounts four days in the life of London schoolteacher Will Kelly, who is emerging from an extended stay in heartbreak hotel since his girlfriend, Aggi, dumped him three years earlier. The self-absorbed, self-deprecating English instructor doesn't lack for romantic prospects—he landed on his feet with comely young Martina—but Will's obsessive tendency to compare her to Aggi renders him indifferent to Martina's charms. The unlikely object of his affection turns out to be Kate, the former occupant of his flat, who finds herself in an intimate phone relationship with the rather unstable teacher when she calls looking for her mail. The thin plot consists of scenes in which Will alternately displays his tongue-in-cheek humor to his paramours and launches into a series of whiny rants and bouts of longing for Aggi. The beginning of the climax adds some vigor, when Will proposes to Kate over the phone, then discusses his romantic approach with a radio talk-show host, but the resolution involving both Kate and Will's musician friend Simon is a clunker. Gayle occasionally demonstrates some of the charm and humor that made Mr. Commitment a British bestseller, but the underplotting here shows through in a hurry, and Will's constant whining will try the patience of even the most avid Anglophiles. National advertising; 3-city author tour. (July)

Forecast:Nick Hornby fans will make good hand-sell candidates, as will die-hard Bridget Jones loyalists.