When I came across Robin Yeatman’s novel Bookworm at my local library, I thought I had come across my ideal book, a story about a woman who escapes into the world of books when real life isn’t so great. Bookworm turned out to be this book.
Meet our protagonist Victoria. She works a few days a week as a massage therapist at a local spa. She sees her job as a dead-end, almost beneath her, but doesn’t have the ambition to find a new job.
But why should she? Victoria is married to Eric, a prosperous high-powered attorney who is currently trying to make partner at his firm. He’s totally stressed out, and of course, brings his stress home.
As Bookworm begins, Victoria and Eric have hit a rough patch in their marriage. The two (not) love birds are totally unsuited for each other. In fact, their marriage seems more like it was arranged by Victoria’s in-laws and her hyper-careerist, status-seeking parents.
To escape the daily grind of her loveless marriage and her crappy job, Victoria loses herself in books. While at one of her favorite cafes, she notices a handsome man reading the same book she is, incidentally a book she hates. Victoria decides right then and there that this fellow reader is her soulmate. She must be with him.
However, there is one thing standing in her way. That’s right, her husband Eric. Victoria goes into the most nefarious areas of her mind and fantasizes about Eric’s deadly demise. She even messes with Eric’s car. And even though Eric could have died in a car crash, he doesn’t quite figure out Victoria wants him dead. Despite being a highly-educated lawyer, Eric doesn’t come across as very bright.
Throughout all of this, Victoria fantasizes about the man she saw at the care. She even has weird nocturnal trysts with him through some oddball astral projection. Huh?
However, Victoria’s fantasies about this mystery man come to fruition when she has a chance meeting with him. The man in question is named Luke, and he is a woodworker with his own shop. Victoria and Luke get to know each other, and she even buys a huge book shelf from him thinking Eric won’t notice. Victoria and Luke soon start a clandestine affair, Victoria telling Luke that she’s going through a divorce. Of course, Victoria is still married to Eric. And instead of asking Eric for a divorce, she is imagining him suffering some awful death. She definitely wants him dead after gets proof Eric might be having an affair with her ditzy, breast-implanted friend, Holly.
Will Victoria divorce Eric? Will Eric fall into a volcano? Will Victoria and Luke end up being a true-blue couple?
Egad, who cares? I sure don’t. While reading Bookworm, I couldn’t give damn about Victoria and her predicament. I’m all for flawed characters, but Victoria is such a drip. She’s not the kind of protagonist you can root for. Victoria has all the depth of a kiddie pool and is very bitchy and judgmental towards others when it came to their looks. I got rather peeved of Victoria making rude observations about uni-boobs, dandruff in people’s hair, pilled clothing, and if I read about Eric’s puffy nipples one more time, I was going to projectile vomit.
Speaking of Eric, when it comes to him and Victoria, these two people didn’t even seem to like each other let alone love each other. Marriages often hit rocky moments and some are better off ending, but Victoria and Eric should have never made a pit stop at the Chapel of Love.
As for Victoria’s new love with Luke? I’m sure Victoria would have grown bored of him, find him riddled with too many faults, and would have pondered his demise.
Bookworm just couldn’t make up its mind if it was chick lit, a dark comedy, or a combo platter of the two. No matter what, it’s just not well written enough for me to give a shit. Unfortunately, Bookworm is more worm than book.
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