Min's not Cal's type - he likes them willowy and blonde, like his psychologist ex Cynthie, not plump and brunette and blander than an accountant. Min dresses twenty years older than she is, and the only spark about her appearance is her quirky footwear, but there's something about her. Cal's everything Min loathes in a man - he's a player, a gambler, slick and chock full of one liners. He's also hot, and though they have nothing in common he keeps turning up wherever she is. When his best friends spark with her best friends, it looks like Min and Cal are going to get together despite themselves.
It's been a long time since I read Crusie's work; in fact, looking back over the posts to date I see I've only read one since starting the blog over two years ago. I can't imagine why I waited so long, because I've enjoyed all her work and Bet Me was perfect - light but substantial, funny and real and gripping from the beginning. I'm always a sucker for a well written plus-size heroine, particularly if she manages to retain her sense of self without losing half her circumference, so that helped. But my mother, who is so very much not a chick lit reader or a plus-size afficianado, picked Bet Me up yesterday while visiting and waiting for me to cook dinner, and made it past the third chapter without pausing to sip her wine - this is a very good sign!
The central plot, a conflict between two people destined to be together, is meticulously choreographed - the obstacles are believable and consistant with the way Crusie has created their characters. There are really strong secondary plots that contribute to, and contrast with, the primary plot - the imminent wedding of Diana to a man Min has never really trusted or liked, Min's relationship with her controlling mother, which is nothing to Cal's realtionship with his dismissive and disapproving ice parents, the fate of Cal's sensitive but robust young nephew Harry, the plotting of Cal and Min's exes to break them up, and the romantic entanglements between their respective best friends.
The cornerstone is, of course, the characters - the central players are fleshed out and individualised, and the point of view switches back and forth between Cal and Min to give us a clear picture of what they're thinking and where they've been. Their present and furture are determined by their pasts, and Crusie conveys this with subtle integration into the fabric of the text rather than dumping data in chunks. The secondary characters - best friends of each our heroes - are similarly strong, and Crusie avoids the obvious traps that would make the romance/s there predictable. The physical attraction between Cal and Min is hot, and Crusie manages to fully explore it organically within the story, rather than gratutiously adding obligatory 'physical love' scenes.
And throughout there are humour, pop culture and elegant one liners woven into the story and doing double duty in character and/or plot development. When Min's mother Nanette expresses dismay during the bridal fitting at the plainness of Min's bra,
Diana widened her eyes and looked prim. "Well, you're going straight to hell."
"Diana," Nanette said.
"I know," Min said as she headed for the dressing room. "That's where all the best men are."
Okay, that may not be the best example out of context, but everything is so well integrated that all the random bits I selected to illustrate the greatness of the writing lose some of their impact when unadorned by the backstory, plot developments and impact of the characters. Just trust me - read Bet Me and you won't regret it. I'd put money on it. - Alex
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