This novel is a fun mix of comedy and romance but from a decidedly male perspective, a middle-aged lonely-heart using whatever bits of wisdom he’s gained in hopes of rekindling his youthful romance. It’s a perspective that is refreshingly comedic and this exceptionally crafted literary novel turns the romance genre on its head.

The protagonist—Nate Evans—is a screenwriter with a lackluster career. The novel opens just after his home is destroyed by an accidental bomb from an Air Force plane. Sifting through the rubble, Nate ruminates on his lowly existence. If his life could have a mulligan—a golfing term for a do-over—and relive his romance with his high school sweetheart, then he would do it in a heart beat. With his home destroyed, he moves back in with his parents and gets a job at his old high school to put him in close proximity to Jules—his old flame.

There’s a breezy quality to Brill’s prose that is reminiscent of a finely tuned screenplay, a snappiness that initially gives the narrative a similar pace to rom-com movies. But in between comedic high jinx and situational comedy is deep reflection from both Nate and the grown woman his high school crush has become, Jules. Their ruminations about life and love bring a weightiness to the novel from a decidedly more mature place in their lives, a perspective that is sorely needed in our youth-obsessed culture. ( )