Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson

Whether your teen-age heartthrob was Elvis, the Beatles or The New Kids on the Block, you will be able to identify with fourteen year old Petra Williams, a Welsh girl madly in love with David Cassidy.  Although her obsession with David complicates her relationship with her hypercritical mother who disdains all pop culture, it also helps her to claim a spot at the edge of a clique of popular girls. Plotting behind her mother’s back to enter the “Ultimate David Cassidy Quiz” contest and attend a David Cassidy concert in London, she is able to make friends, both true and superficial.

Twenty-five years later, Petra’s life is disintegrating. The day her mother died, her husband announced he was leaving her for a younger woman. While going through her mother’s possessions after the funeral, she finds a twenty-five year old notice from Worldwind Publishing informing her that she is the winner of the “Ultimate David Cassidy Quiz” and the grand prize of a trip to meet David Cassidy on the set of The Partridge Family Determined not to be cheated of the happiness she so longed for during her childhood, Petra tracks down the publishing company and claims her prize. The publisher, looking for a story and publicity, agrees to provide it by flying her to Las Vegas where Cassidy is performing.

Consequently, just as David Cassidy helped Petra survive her difficult teen years, she finds he can also help her navigate through adult problems.

I Think I Love You is a more than a trip down memory lane. It is also a study in how young women develop the personality and qualities that will later see them through the difficulties of adult life.