How Boys See Girls

Lynne Hughes teaches communication arts at the University of Calgary.

This second novel by David Gilmour, CBC’s entertaining and insightful
film critic, is deceptively titled: rather than being a wistful look at
young love, it is a cynical and disillusioned portrayal of modern
romance.

Set in Toronto, the novel relates the story of Bix, a middle-aged,
heavy-drinking, and world-weary speechwriter who becomes involved with
the equally confused Holly. Both characters drift through life, unable
to commit wholeheartedly to anything—not to their families, not to
their work, and certainly not to one another—but just as unable to end
their mutual sexual obsession.

More than the story of one man’s mid-life crisis, this novel presents
a vision of urban love in the 1990s that is characterized by lust,
uncertainty, and resignation. Gilmour has created a protagonist with
whom it is easy to empathize, and the realistic dialogue and lively pace
make the novel hard to put down. All in all, a funny sensitive, moving
work, and highly recommended.