I've Got Your Number

How can one ever be sure if the other is the right person for her?  Persumably no one wants to intentionally hurt the other person.  No one wants to live a miserable time. Yet it happens often.  Is it because we chicken out and suppress our true feelings, and instead try to learn to live with them; or we try to become a different person; or we are convinced to make compromises?  When should it set the alarm bells ringing?

Luckily in Kinsella's latest novel, I've Got Your Number, such story is narrated with such lightheartedness and hilarious tone with best possible ending one could hope for.  Kinsella is a believer of good heart no matter how stupid, foolish and naive it will make the protagonist look.

Poppy Wyatt is a perky physiotherapist who is faced with the unthinkable.   Weeks before her wedding she looses her engagement ring.  An emerald ring surrounded with 4 carat diamonds, taken out of family safe and presented to her by her fiance Magnus Tavish.  She cannot seem to bring herself to tell the truth to Magnus and his family and this brings about the most creative and hilarious ways of hiding and diverting the attention of all while she is frantically looking for the ring.  (Un)Luckily her cell phone is stolen and she cannot seem to find or think of a better way other than grabbing a cell-phone out of a bin --after all what is in the bin is considered "unwanted" trash and considered public property.  Therefore no need to worry about turning it in or trying to find its owner.  And even in the likely event of its owner, Sam Roxton, locating her; she convinces him that the cell should stay with her, at least for a while _PLEASE_ until her ring turns up.  And she promises Sam Roxton to forward all company e-mail, voice mail and other correspondences to him on time and in orderly fashion. Needless to say this sharing of information sets the story for a very interesting turn of events. 

Like when Poppy is visiting the in-laws, Antony and Wanda Tavish, the genius people, completely in a different league than her, and she feels inferior, and intimidated by them; not being able to say anything clever.  But, when it is scrabble time and Poppy after a disappointing start, PIG, is able to play 70 points words, thanks to words Sam texts her. 

These two keep helping each other out, or they think that they do.  I laughed my socks off when Poppy tries to mend Sam's aloof image with his colleagues by sending Lindsay a bouquet of flowers and signing her birthday card with zillion 'x'-s.  Or sends an eulogy poem to Chloe who is grieving for her dog.  Sam in return help Poppy to face up the challenge and not to avoid confrontation all the time.  Really good lesson that I needed.  Poppy and I share this attribute.  I hate confronting people and avoid it like a plague.

Read the book.  It won't be a let down.

Characters in the order of appearance:
Poppy Wyatt     ......  The bride-to-be
Sam Roxton    .......   The other guy
Magnus Tavish  ......  The groom-to-be
Felix     Tavish   ......  Magnus' brother, the guy who saves the day
Wanda Tavish   ......   Magnus' mother
Antony Tavish   ......  Magnus' father