Willing is not the sort of novel we've come to expect from Scott Spencer, but that makes it all the more
interesting. Spencer (Endless Love, Waking the Dead, National Book Award finalist A Ship Made of Paper) writes about romantic drama from the male perspective, and in a way, he does that here, too. But Willing, about a jilted freelance writer who finds out his girlfriend is having an affair, is satire, sharp and funny. It's as if Spencer is actually making fun of the sort of characters he's famous for: self-absorbed men who let desire and passion rule their lives. (Sound like anybody you know?)
In Willing, though, Avery Jankowsky doesn't merely mope about his predicament. He heads off on an international sex tourism jaunt and...well, you're just going to have to read the book to find out what happens to him. But it's safe to say that there's a ton of material ripe for satire in this plot , and Spencer seems to have a good time mining it.
You can read my review here.


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