Solving for X

~by Sandi Glauser

The once wildly successful television series Good Morning Seattle is in danger of cancellation. Understandably, this has Cassie Granger, the aging star and producer of the show, worried. An actress since a young age, work has become a major part of her life, especially now that both of her sons are living at home. As much as she wants the show to succeed, she is reluctant to give up control over any aspect of it, but the studio is demanding she hire a new writer due to the show's poor ratings.

Lexie Constantine is known in the industry for being able to turn around failing shows with her impressive writing talent. Unfortunately for her, this means being shuffled around from program to program. So, when her skills are once again requested to save Good Morning Seattle, she isn't particularly looking forward to being hired.

Surprisingly, the Cassie and Lexie hit it off from the very beginning, quickly forming a friendship that goes beyond the workplace. As time goes by, both of them come to realize that something more may be going on. Lexie, although a lesbian, is still coming to terms with her sexuality. Cassie, a widow and actress in the public eye, has never even considered the thought. They both know they are falling in love. They both know that what they choose to do will not only effect them, but all the people around them as well.

I have one major complaint about this book, which is about the formatting of the text: every single paragraph was separated by a "double space." I'm fairly certain, although I'm not sure, that this was a deliberate choice by the author. Since I'm used to seeing this spacing used in a different context (separating major sections, change in scene, etc.) it made the text feel extremely disjointed. I never got used to it, but I did come up with my own reasoning behind it: The story revolves around a television show. Television programs are made up of a series of visual fragments, caused by camera changes, zooming, angles, and so on. In a way, by separating each paragraph, the text simulates television programming. Indeed, I came to see this story, especially in how it was presented, as a script or a story-board for a television series or movie rather than as a novel. A lovely story, but perhaps this was the wrong format for it.


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