[.ca] Infernal Affairs (ISBN 0758203063)

Unreal but Funny:
Let me begin by saying that I like to read books whose storylines are unusual. Infernal Affairs is one of them. Jane Heller has written a very funny and captivating story about how Barbara's life was changed (for the better?) overnight when she accidentally made a pact with the devil. I enjoyed the story every step of the way. It kept me thinking and guessing who the characters in Barbara's life really were and I fell in love with the dog who appeared on her doorstep - Pete. It made me wish I had a dog like him. A lovely read that made me laugh out loud many times. Very original, very addictive. Go get it!

Infernally boring:
I only finished this book because I had no other reading material at hand. The story is silly, the romantic plot predictable from page one, and the promised humor is nowhere to be found. It features a pitiable Devil and a God that has nothing better to do than to sit on the heroine's sofa. Gee whiz...

I'm a Guy, But...:
Basically, this book stinks. The plot is unbelievable, as well as formulaic for Ms. Heller: frumpy, Jewish, mother-hating, father-loving, recently separated/divorced woman who hates her ex thinks she needs to look elsewhere for happiness, but finds it around the corner with a man she thought she couldn't stand.

Great beginning, awkward ending:
Heroine: Frump-turned-babe Frizzy, frazzled, and frayed by a boring marriage, a year-long slump in the Florida real-estate biz, and nightly rounds with a wine bottle, Barbara Chessner has truly hit the skids. Upon being told that her hubby is dumping her for a younger-albeit-toothier gal, introverted Barbara washes down her rage with still more elixir of the vine. Unable to speak her mind until her husband is well out of earshot, she turns to the stormy night and wishes she was free of her old rundown life. And in the wink of an eye, her wish is granted. Barbara wakes the next morning as a blonde bombshell who can suddenly sing on-key, wrap handsome men around her little finger, and sell a house just by looking at a prospective buyer. So what if this instant makeover has some drawbacks, such as explaining her new appearance to folks who have known her forever, or the fact that her breath inexplicably reeks of Brussels sprouts? Who in their right mind would want their old life back? Barbara would! It soon becomes apparent that her prayers weren't answered by the celestial being she had thought, and new bouncier breasts or no, she doesn't want to be signing on for eternity with Satan. All Barbara has to do now is figure out where in Banyan Beach the devil is hiding and send him back where he belongs before he turns her beloved hometown into a recruiting ground for the Army of Hades. Can Barbara save her soul and her city before it's too late? What worked for me: I genuinely liked Barbara and enjoyed her transformation from doormat to independent woman. This book had some very funny lines and scenes to savor, and I had a great time watching Barbara try to figure out what had happened to her. What didn't work for me: I get so tired of the notion that being any size in double digits necessarily equates with "frumpiness". Barbara lost 20 pounds overnight and woke up a size 8, so she must have been merely average-sized to begin with. The mixed message in this book really put my teeth on edge: bigger women are ok as long as they aren't too much bigger. And don't get me started on the fact that at the end of the story the (anti?) hero got to keep his paunch, but the heroine was on a diet to lose the double chin. How could a book that was so well-written for the first three quarters go so far astray at the end? The climax and resolution of this story just fell so flat for me. The first attempt to rid this little corner of Florida of its supernatural visitor came off as ridiculous (not in a good way), and the final solution to the town's troubles came off as trite. The confrontation between good and evil left me thinking, "That's IT?!? What was that all about?" Overall: Most of the book was so well-written that I still recommend it as a pretty good read, but only if you are willing to overlook a fat-phobic passage here and there and the disappointing ending. I sincerely hope that rumors of a possible movie based on this story are true. It has the potential to be a really cute flick if the right person develops the screenplay. Warning: there's a bit of coarse language and a brief strange (but funny) sexual scenario. If you liked "Infernal Affairs" you might also enjoy "Princess Charming", "Plum Girl", The Stephanie Plum mystery series, and "Fast Women".

A decent beach book for the 40ish set:
Jane Heller rights about women not quite a certain age. Luckily these women are successful, witty, intelligent, and capable. I find this very refreshing, as I am hard pressed to find novels where the heroines have these characteristics. The story here however is a little thin. I did not enjoy this as much as I enjoyed some of her other novels. The male characters are a little one dimensional, and I feel I've seen them a thousand times before. And for a fresh approach to the "husband leaving wife for a younger woman" scenario, I found the ending too predictable.