Page 92 of Only Lovers in the Building

Ben: Boss Babe, a refreshing romance that did not rely on the miscommunication trope. Film critic Roger Ebert spoke of the Idiot Plot. I hate it when the issue between the couple could have been quickly resolved if only they weren’t acting like idiots.

Lily: It happens more often than I’m comfortable sharing here. The couple faces an imaginary obstacle, a perceived slight, a miscommunication that breeds mistrust. They act like idiots all the way through, and if they’d only aired their feelings, the whole matter would have been resolved.

Ben: That would be one short novel. Let’s talk about what we liked about this book.

Lily: I like very much that the story isn’t based on fear.

Ben: Explain.

Lily: The fear of loving again, getting hurt again, the fear of intimacy, the ever-irrational fear of commitment. Those types of fears. In real life, it makes perfect sense. I’m afraid of making yet another mistake. Such a waste of time. In fiction, it’s redundant. Do you agree?

Ben: I agree. I’m afraid of hurting someone, inflicting pain.

Lily: That’s serious.

Ben: We’ve talked about this. Don’t you remember?

Lily: Yes, but tell me more.

Ben: Not with this mic in my face.

Lily: Go on! Dave can edit it out.

Ben: Dave could never edit it out of his mind. He’d never look at me the same way.

Lily: Fine. We’ll keep it moving.

Ben: Thank you.

Lily: Back to our discussion. I don’t want our listeners to think that this book is about two women just sitting around talking about feelings. It’s fast-paced and spicy. To recap, Monica has just signed with a major label. At the same time, Pasha was recently hired to turn said label around. It’s post #MeToo, and the company is seeking to rebrand after a series of misconduct allegations. Pasha and Monica have instant chemistry, but hooking up could cost them both their careers.

Ben: Funny how they relied on a woman exec to clean up the messes of the male execs.

Lily: It’s called a glass cliff. Replacing a man with a woman so she can take the fall is classic. Her tenure will be short. It’s only a matter of time until she’s replaced with yet another man.

Ben: With so much at stake, they should walk away.

Lily: I agree, and in real life, they would’ve pushed past this to focus on their careers.

Ben: This is not real life, so of course they go at it like rabbits.

Lily: We’ll leave it at that because we don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Also, our time is up.

Ben: I’d like to take a minute to communicate, clearly and openly, that I love spending this time with you.

Lily: Don’t think for a minute that you’re out of hot water. You’re not. As for the rest of you, the links are in the show notes. Let us know what you think. Join us next week when we discuss Around Midnight by Charlotte Mitchel.

Ben: See you then.

Comments:

@Bradleyyyy: Is it me, or are these two hotter than loaded dynamite?

@AngelWings: This podcast is my whole personality now.

@user880203948: Mother is mothering! I don’t know what that means, but it’s fitting in this case.

Chapter Twenty-Five