The Perfect Play Book

Louise Wener's The Perfect Play is the story Audrey Unger, an urbane Brit whose quest for her estranged poker-playing father takes her on a journey through the projects of London to the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, stopping along the way to grapple with the beginnings of a mid-life crisis that only U2 front-man Bono seems to be able to cure. Brilliant with numbers, Audrey's luck changes when she meets Big Louie, a massive agoraphobic who takes her under his wing and agrees to teach her the game of poker in exchange for a window box that will remind him of what lies outside his self-made prison. Edgy, witty, and quite funny, The Perfect Play combines Chick Lit sensibilities with a healthy dose of suspense and instruction, making this a rewarding read for both men and women alike.

Piggy-backing on the popularity of poker, Wener does a laudable job of integrating the game into the very essence of Audrey's quest. Also admirable is her ability to create real relationships between her characters; when Big Louie finally comes clean with Audrey, the honesty is palpable. ("But like I said, the odds don't always go your way in the world. It's how you handle the bad bets that counts... You gotta promise me something, Audrey. I mean it. You gotta promise that you won't end up like me.") And while Audrey's growing distance from her loved ones, including her far-too-perfect boyfriend Joe, seems to resolve itself far too neatly, we've become so invested in her happiness that we're content to accept a fairy-tale ending. --Gisele Toueg