The Guy Not Taken will touch you with its bitter-sweet intimacy. This bestselling collection of eleven short stories by Jennifer Weiner illustrates the profound impact of human connection in a witty, heart wrenching way.
Weiner’s earthy narratives are full of the crippled beauty and tangled weeds of interpersonal relationships. Her diverse cast of characters range from a young Josie Krystal, dealing with the aftermath of her father’s disappearance, to an elderly Dora, who finds herself hijacked by the desperate promises of a misguided young woman. It is this chronological arc, from youth to old age that ties these stories together. Through the daily struggles of wounded spirits seeking love and happiness, Weiner demonstrates how individuals touch each other in unexpected ways.
The well crafted characters will draw you in with their humor and befriend you with their vulnerability. Like all friends, sometimes they may even frustrate you, but within that gut twisting emotion lies Weiner’s true skill as a writer. The individual plot lines, though deliberate, are never predictable. At times you may feel betrayed, cheated out of your “Hollywood” happy ending. However, the path that each story leads you down is just as enchanting. Sometimes the happy endings we’re expecting, blind us to the happy endings that are possible.
