Curve Ball

Curve Ball
by Charlotte Stein
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review:
So far, this is my favorite shorter story by Charlotte Stein. I think I've read this one five or more times since I got it. This book is my first thought when I need a Charlotte Stein hit. It's just so wonderful and cooky and heart-felt.

It doesn't hold to ideals of body image perfection. Some people might say that Judy had a lot of insecurities, but I felt like she was fine with who she was, she just felt that other people were judging her for her weight. She gets upset because of the comments Steven makes and the ways other people treat her, not because she thinks there's something wrong with her.

Judy has such an outlandish internal monologue. You just seriously want to be a part of her brain for a while. When she admires Steven's pecs, she scolds herself for thinking that maybe her brother would tell her “Ah well, he developed those rock hard bosoms with a strict regimen of daily squeezings”.

This story is told first person, from Judy's perspective. It's a pretty limited story – we don't really know what these characters do, if they have other friends, what their life is like outside this vacation on a boat. It's a perfect little snippet of life for it's length though. We're interested in these two people, not anything else that's going on around them. Charlotte Stein has such a wonderful way of writing first person, but still giving you those little clues to know what everyone else is thinking and feeling. There's a lot of internal mutterings, but they all feel wonderful and like exactly the sort of stuff you'd find going through your own mind in these situations.

Steven is this big, buff sounding guy who's pretty goofy. He's been around Judy for years but never let on that he was attracted to her. So she thinks he hates her. He seems pretty confident of himself once he decides that Judy might be interested. He can act like a little, sad puppy; or a goofy joker; or even a decently sentimental guy when the mood strikes.

It's a very British book, which is always fun for me. Tea and biscuits, jumpers and vests, things being sat and stood upon. And you truly have to be British to use the word daft. I always snicker when I read these lines because they all sound so very proper but Charlotte Stein throws in all the quirks and silliness with them.

All of that doesn't mean this book isn't filled with sex, because it is. It's got a whole lot of unexpected sexual contact along with caring and happy emotions. I think this one takes me about two hours to read so it's great for when you have a couple hours to just relax and enjoy a whole story.