Thursday, September 19, 2013

"Two of a Kind"

Yona Zeldis McDonough is the author of the novels A Wedding in Great Neck, Breaking the Bank, In Dahlia's Wake, and The Four Temperaments, as well as numerous books for children.

She applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Two of a Kind, and reported the following:
I happen to think page 69 is a wonderful introduction to Two of a Kind. In the chapter where this page appears, Christina Connelly and Andy Stern go to an estate sale. When they first met at a wedding, she thought he was an obnoxious boor and he thought her frosty and cold. But as an interior designer she comes highly recommended so he offers her the job of redoing his apartment; she needs the money so she takes it. The actual sale is great; she finds treasures for Andy’s place and he is impressed by watching her in action. But when they drive off in search of lunch, her car breaks down and they are stranded—in a dead cell phone zone—by the side of the road. On page 69, they are walking along in search of a gas station. It’s hot, it’s buggy and pretty soon it starts to pour. Now they are soaked in addition to everything else. At first Christina welcomes the cooling rain but when she looks down, she is horrified to see her white T-shirt is plastered to her body and her thin, lace bra offers no protection at all—her nipples are entirely visible. She is mortified. Without remarking on her evident discomfort, Andy strips off his soaked shirt and gives it to her so she can cover herself. And then he begins to sing one of the songs from South Pacific—it turns out to be a favorite for both of them—and she overcomes her habitual reserve to join in. So it’s a page on which the whole nature of their relationship begins to change, and they start to view each other in a different way.
Learn more about the author and her work at Yona Zeldis McDonough's website.

My Book, The Movie: Two of a Kind.

--Marshal Zeringue