Our intrepid narrator is twentysomething, lives in London, and is armed with a master's in the history of punishment. Knowing the finer points of thumb screws and the rack doesn't quite put somebody on the fast track to success, however. So she takes work as a receptionist at the Academy of Material Science. Reading Remembrance of Things Past could fill some of the dull hours behind the desk, but she wants to write a book of her own.
This sharp young woman doesn't need to search for topics -- her own life is intriguing enough. For starters, there's that elusive new man who doesn't...