My "Favorite Books of All Time" list just got longer by one title

It's not often that I read a new book and realize, immediately and beyond the shadow of a doubt, that it's one of my favorite books of all time.

But back in January, when I finished Brady Udall's magnificent new novel, The Lonely Polygamist, I had just such a revelation.

I had never read Mr. Udall before. I had heard booksellers rave about his last novel, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint (2001), but somehow it never made it to the top of my stack. I even remember hearing great things about his story collection Letting Loose the Hounds way back in 1997. But you know how it is: so many books, so little time.

But when I read the catalog copy of The Lonely Polygamist, I knew immediately that I had to have the book. I e-mailed Johanna, our Norton rep, to request an Advance Reading Copy. She sent it to me right away and assured me "it's fan freakin tastic!" Johanna's praise sealed the deal: as soon as the book arrived I turned to the first page and started reading.

I won't go into detail about the plot, characters, themes, etc, because this is the kind of book that I feel like I can hand to anybody and simply say: "Trust me: you're going to love this book." (In fact, as soon as you start describing a book or comparing it to other books or authors, you run the risk of unintentionally turning a potential reader off.)

So, here's the deal: reading this book was an amazing experience. Never did I encounter a dull scene, an uninteresting storyline, a minor character that seemed flat, or even a single sentence that jarred me. I tend not to read too many big novels, nor do I tend to re-read books, but when I reached the end of The Lonely Polygamist, my first thought was: "I can't wait to read that again!"

That said, here's my pitch, as simply as I can put it:

Pick it up, turn to the first page, and start reading. You can thank me later.

Dave