Five Star Stranger
Five Star Stranger ~ Kat Tang
The unnamed protagonist of Five Star Stranger works as a rent-a-person, via an app where he can be rented by the hour to pose as a date to a wedding, a mourner at a funeral, a wingman, a brother, etc. The Stranger, as I will refer to him here, (makes me think of Camus, and from there to The Cure) lives in a cramped apartment in New York, and goes from gig to gig, some with regulars whom he sees often, some with clients who only need him for an hour or two. His goals? To make people happy, to help them when they need him, to stay emotionally distant, and to receive a 5 star rating. If he gets more than 2 lower ratings, he will be dropped from the platform.
The most problematic of these relationships is with his client Mari, and her young daughter, Lily. The Stranger poses as Lily’s father, the story being that he is a long haul truck driver, and is only in New York once a week. He picks her up from school on Thursdays and stays until she is safely tucked in bed and her mom is home, and then he’s off again until next week. This has worked well for years, but Mari is coming to some realizations, and it’s not long before Lily is going to be too old to fall for the deception.
This was a quick read, 230 pages. I really liked it a lot. I liked the writing, I liked the characters (well, most of them), and I found it really interesting and moving. It wasn’t ‘fun’ read, not a romp nor a rom-com, but really good. I read a physical copy that Ted gave me for Christmas or my Birthday (they’re close, so I get my gifts confused…) Highly recommended.
13 Comments
Elisabeth
I’ve added this to my “to-read” list! The story sounds compelling.
J
I hope you like it!
Ally Bean
I like the idea that someone’s goal is to make people happy. Sounds like a fascinating book. Thanks for the review.
J
It’s an interesting idea. He wants to make people happy, but does he?
Ernie
Another book that sounds interesting. I’ve read a few really long books lately, so I feel like I am due for something shorter. Thanks for sharing it.
J
Sometimes a shorter book is just what we need, right?
Nicole MacPherson
Oooh this sounds interesting, I’ll see if my library has it.
J
I hadn’t heard of this one. Ted likes to look around bookstores and find something he thinks I will like. He’s got a pretty good track record on it!
Margaret
I can sense the issues coming up from posing as the father but otherwise it seems like a great job–making people happy is an excellent goal.
J
It’s a pretty nuanced job I think…he wants to make them happy, but is that realistic from a rent a person? Maybe?
PocoBrat
This is going on my list. Initially, I really did think it was a setup for a rom-com though!
J
The title makes it sound like one, definitely.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
<this sounds really good. Thank you for the recommendaton. Off to the library I head.