A Comedy that Counts (Addition - Toni Jordan)

Member Name: Puggers

Product:	Addition - Toni Jordan
Date:	19/04/09 (192 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Warm, engaging characters, a clever perspective.

Disadvantages: Takes a little while to find its feet, occasionally a little irritating.

"A comedy that counts."

Thus is Addition dubbed - an allusion to its protagonist Grace's tendency to count. She would deny that she's an Obsessive Compulsive; she derides 'handwashers' and 'germphobes', but has an uncontrollable urge to add wherever she sees numbers - she knows how many characters make up her full name (19), how many brushes she gives her teeth each evening (160) and how many steps separate the café and her front door (920). The numbers shape and define her life, providing a routine that is as reassuring as it is restrictive. All is well with Grace and counting until that troublesome entity that is love makes an appearance in the form of Seamus, a patient, easy-mannered man from whom our heroine steals a banana (for she just has to have ten).

So far, so standard light-hearted romance with a twist. That said, it is rather a good twist; full of potential to shape character and plot, a promising weapon in the hands of a gifted author. So is Toni Jordan that author?

If she is, it's one in a considerable list of entries on her CV. Previously a sales assistant, molecular biologist, chemist and marketing manager, Addition is Jordan's first book, and is one that makes a generally good impression. Obsession is an angle often explored in fiction, and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) provides a good base for the kind of fine-tooth comb literature that writers such as Nicholson Baker have used to pore over the various curiosities of being human. It feels as if this is the road Jordan is going down at first here, counting and referencing everything in reach. However, at least in the opening chapters, where such a pattern is thickest, this doesn't really work - the narrative is too heavy on listing numbers and objects, and while this is undeniably a facet of Grace's nature, it doesn't make for good reading, shifting between the gimmicky and the downright irritating.

That said, as the heroine's personality starts to come through, the numbers seem to find a place in this book. Alongside the wonderfully neurotic and idiosyncratically lovable Grace, there is a context to the obsessive side of things which was initially absent, and suddenly everything falls into place and starts to work. The characters are frequently the highlights of Addition; the main character notwithstanding, her family and new-found boyfriend are fleshed out with great affection and provide fitting figures for Grace and her oddities to bounce off and be reflected in. A more pedestrian plot is not such a strong point, but it's effective, and is story enough for the characters to excel in.

One aspect of the storyline which is interesting is that which addresses questions relating to treatment of disorders such as that which Grace suffers. For some of those afflicted, the disorder is so overwhelming and all-consuming that a course of treatment is the only option; but for others, a relatively full, if not especially 'normal' life is possible, with the sufferer living with the condition. What role, if any, does treatment have here? Although it might be preferable to rid someone of their problems, how far should one go? Is it too far if the medication involved changes their character in other ways? These kinds of questions are raised by parts of Addition, and while the sections of the narrative dealing most closely with this are a bit hit-and-miss in terms of the story, it's nice to see a novel which is for the most part fairly light-hearted ponder a few more serious issues.

Jordan has created a book which is largely an enjoyable read, with the odd thought-provoking moment along the way. As someone who suffers from relatively mild OCD (nothing quite on Grace's level, mercifully), I was able to empathise with the character depicted, and felt the imagining of her problems to be handled pretty skilfully and with some accuracy. Addition doesn't stand out in any real way; there are almost certainly novels which deal with the themes followed here better - however, it is an excellent all-rounder, which does a good job of balancing its constituent parts to produce a thoroughly readable, engaging effort which should make its author one to look out for in future.

Summary: The light-hearted tale of a woman battling obsession to find love and acceptance.