Before I left for Paris, I went over to Jane’s house to borrow some books. This Body: A Novel of Reincarnation jumped out at me, even though at one point Jane took it out of my hand and insisted I read Jitterbug Perfume instead. For some reason, I was drawn by the premise of “This Body,” and chose to bring both books, under the agreement with Jane that I read “Jitterbug Perfume” first.

So, it wasn’t until my last night in Paris that I got around to picking up This Body. The concept behind the book was enthralling: a middle-aged mother named Katharine wakes up in the emaciated body of a 22-year-old drug addict, in a pool of vomit on a bathroom floor. What’s happened? So, while T. sat desperately clacking on her computer (convinced that I would be taking the files of my photos of France off her hard drive when I left), I inhaled the first 100 pages of the book in three hours. I had to force myself to save the rest for my 15 hours of travelling the next day.

I love how smart the book is — maybe it takes a person named after a Shakespeare character to truly appreciate that the 22-year-old body’s name is Thisby, from a Midsummer Night’s Dream. I had a goldfish named Thisby in college. Her lover Pyramis died almost immediately, but Thisby was around for years.

The author was so funny and clever, and the book enthralled me. I loved the bit about stained underwear, and the references to Southern Californian rave culture were perfect. I was on the verge of announcing my complete and utter renewed faith in contemporary fiction, and then the end sorta fizzled. I still enjoyed the book, but the ending frustrated me.

I felt compelled to write a customer review for Amazon, explaining what I loved about the book, and expressing dismay at the ending.

Then, today, I got an email from Laurel Doud, the author of the book. It was a sweet, concise message, thanking me for my review and expressing sympathy at my frustration with (although certainly not apologizing for) the end of the book.

When I write/finish MY book, I want to be an author like that — taking time to interact with my readers. Hats off to Laurel Doud.