Overnight Sensation

Susan Merskey is freelance writer in London, Ontario.

Colleen Curran is the author of the critically acclaimed Something
Drastic (1995). As her second novel opens, we are introduced to Lenore
Rutland, a singing waitress who works in a zany Montreal theme
restaurant. Her neighbor, Reine Ducharme, is an expert gardener and the
owner of Brioche and Montcalm, a pair of spoiled, unruly lap dogs. When
Reine is jailed for poisoning six fellow jury members, Lenore finds
herself taking care of the dogs. She takes them to obedience school, and
eventually they are “discovered” and become media stars. Lenore
becomes a media celebrity in her own right and, as the lively and
twist-filled story unfolds, she falls in and out of love on numerous
occasions.

Although the characters lack depth and the episodic style is at times
confusing, Overnight Sensation on the whole provides an entertaining
escape from a winter afternoon. Given the overriding emphasis on comedy,
the book contains a surprising amount of psychological truth.