Boy Next Door

`To: Human Resources From: Mel Fuller Subject: My Tardiness The primary condition from which I am suffering is that I'm a twenty-seven-year-old woman living in New York City, and I cannot find a decent guy. See if our Staff Assistance Program can handle that. To: You (you) From: Human Resources (human.resources@thenyjournal.com) Subject: This Book Dear Reader, This is an automated message from the Human Resources Division of the New York Journal, New York City’s leading photo-newspaper. Please be aware that according to our records you have not yet read this book. What exactly are you waiting for? This book has it all: Humor Romance Cooking tips Great Danes Heroine in peril Dolphin-shaped driftwood sculptures If you wish to read about any of the above, please do not hesitate to head to the checkout counter, where you will be paired with a sales associate who will work to help you buy this book. We here at the New York Journal are a team. We win as a team, and lose as one as well. Don’t you want to be on the winning team? Sincerely, Human Resources Division New York Journal Please note that failure to read this book may result in suspension or dismissal from this store. *********This e-mail is confidential and should not be used by anyone who is not the original intended recipient. If you have received this e-mail in error please inform the sender and delete it from your mailbox or any other storage mechanism.**********--*

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Romance, Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.