Likely lad's novel approach to romance
DISTRACTING THOUGHTS related to women and the things they'd like to do to them are commonly believed to pop in to men's heads as often as once every seven seconds.
The United States-based Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction has found '54 per cent of men think about sex every day or several times a day, 43 per cent a few times per month or a few times per week, and four per cent less than once a month'. Clearly, the men in the final category were lying.
But what do these men think about sex? Mark Mason's book, billed as 'the male Sex And The City' and the novel that 'puts the man back into romantic comedy', attempts to offer insight into the lustful musings of the 20-something single male.
We learn, for example, that protagonist Rob divides the attractive women he meets into one of four categories. Colleague and object of his obsession Clare Jordan is 'sexy' because the way she talks and what she says are as attractive as the way she looks; because the attraction crept up on Rob, rather than hitting him in the face like an attention-grabbing cleavage; and because her appeal is hard to pin down.
'Pretty' is easy, according to Rob. ' 'Pretty' is a fresh face, bright eyes, soft hair. An innocence that perhaps you fancy, perhaps you don't. 'Good-looking' is pretty plus you want to take them to bed.' And if Clare had been 'horny', he'd have wanted to take her to bed instantly, whether she was pretty or not.
Mason is just one of a string of lads to pen a novel about relationships, sex and fear of commitment. Nick Hornby's High Fidelity and About A Boy, the film version of which opened in Hong Kong recently, were the first and perhaps best of the bunch. The success of Tony Parsons' Man And Boy, which has been on Hong Kong best-seller lists for longer than Harry Potter, recently helped him score a hefty advance from HarperCollins. The sequel, Man And Wife, is published here and in Britain this week (look out for a review in these pages next week).
While What Men Think About Sex isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as some of its predecessors, it is an entertaining read. Some may find the competition around which the plot is driven - a race for the right to ask the luscious Ms Jordan out by being the first to either seduce five women whose names start with C, L, A, R and E (Tim), or score in five places beginning with the same letters (Rob) - somewhat disturbing. One-night stands are one thing, but one-night stands based on the girl's first initial rather than how attractive she is . . . frightening, isn't it? To be fair to Mason, Rob does feel the occasional pang of guilt about his conquests' unwitting participation in the race. To give fair warning to women everywhere, his partner in crime, Tim, does not.
The incorrigible pair live in London, where they design software 'that allows sad people with personal organisers to exhibit techno-superiority over you at parties'
We follow their exploits through a three-month extract from Rob's diary (not very original that, eh, Bridget?), caught up in the spirit of competition despite ourselves.
Mason has written a textbook romantic comedy that will appeal to men and women in their late teens and 20s, but those looking for quick, light reads might be better off sticking with Parsons and Hornby.
What Men Think About Sex
by Mark Mason
Time Warner $78
