The Deal: Ever since she started working at Coles, Amelia Hayes has had a crush on Chris, the guy who was in charge of her training. He's nice, helps her out learning the ropes of working at a supermarket and they share spirited discussions about films and books and second wave feminism.
Whenever Chris actually thinks of Amelia, he recognizes how special she is, but he doesn't really think about her often as he's busy pondering the meaning of his own life what with all his friends finishing college and moving onto grown up jobs while he still hasn't finished, still works at a supermarket and still lives with his parents.
In some ways, both Amelia and Chris are stuck in their circumstances, as they weave a interlocking story of unrequited love, friendship and family.
My Thoughts: Love and Other Perishable Items is the US Edition of Good Oil (which was published a couple of years ago in Australia . I read Good Oil early last year, and I really loved it, so when I found out it was going to be published this side of the point I wanted to check it out to see if a) was as good as I remembered; and b) if they had made changes for this edition.
The book was as good as I remembered but there were also some changes - mostly the names of certain places, I guess to make it easier for readers on this side of the pond - but I don't think it really affected the story (though I'm not sure I'm okay with the Good Oil thing, but it's something it will probably only bother the people who read the original).
But I love Amelia and Chris, and I enjoy their voices. Amelia's is so open, she's young and can't wait to start to live and grow up even though it hurts sometimes. Christ is quite honest with himself (his parts come in he shape of journal entries), and he can be douche sometimes, but he is kind of charming and I felt his pain at being stuck not really wanting to grow up.
All in all, I would say that Love and Other Perishable Items is a must read.
What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).
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