As Long As She Needs Me

April 1, 2001
This frothy and frolicsome first novel is a "musical comedy without the music," in P.G. Wodehouse's phrase. Oliver Campbell, a tall, gawky but handsome former English major, is trapped in the job of executive editorial assistant at Dawn Books. Lauren LaRose, a beautiful but burned-out journalist, pens "The Aisle of White," a popular monthly magazine column devoted to trendy theme weddings. At the nuptials of Oliver's college roommate, Oliver and Lauren are seated together at the Butt Table (the opposite of the Head Table). In their early 30s and weary of dating, both live solitary lives, but as the wedding winds down, Oscar draws Lauren onto the dance floor. Once back in New York, their attraction is in classic comedy fashion challenged by obstacles and misunderstandings. Dawn, Oliver's nightmare boss, commandeers his time, demanding that he plan every detail of her upcoming top-secret marriage to literary super-agent Gordon Fox. Taking Oliver's obsession with wedding plans as evidence that he is engaged, Lauren keeps her distance and endures a string of disastrous blind dates. Will the two ever manage to get together? Although the answer is never in doubt, getting there is a merry and manic dance through the cutthroat world of New York publishing and the insanity of contemporary "coordinated" weddings. Clever quips (some misfire, but there's always another coming up), insider information, swift pacing and a bright cast of secondary characters are the bubbles in an entertainment as effervescent as Perrier-Jouet. Agent, Tina Bennett. (Apr. 1) Forecast: Weinstock paid his dues working at three publishing houses, so the tease of a roman clef is sure to generate buzz among those in the business. Like David Sedaris, he has been featured on NPR and his comic insights and deadpan wit will further broaden his appeal to a wide swath of readers.