Discover Rosenblum's 'Herself When She's Missing'

In <em>Herself When She's Missing</em>, local author Sarah Terez Rosenblum paints a portrait of a tumultuous female relationship that involves mid-20s protagonist Andrea and her on-again, off-again girlfriend, Jordan. Through clever metaphors, itemized and un-itemized lists, and 3-by-5 note cards, Midwestern-born Andrea shares her perspectives on humanity, relationships and personal insecurities. Mostly she relates snippets of her life with Jordan, a 40-something Los Angles lifer and liar who believes her own lies. The relationship between the two is complicated, to say the least, and Andrea flees sunny California for the Midwest's seasons after the two split up over what Andrea believes to be Jordan's fault. Nevertheless, two years later Jordan relocates to Chicago and moves in with Andrea. The second half of their relationship is relayed to the reader in the same stylethrough detailed recollections of concerts the two attended, memory flashbacks and Top Ten lists.<br /><br />The book's descriptive, witty prose is written as if every anecdote was recorded in Andrea's personal journal. The version of the story that Andrea shares is so believable that it is impossible to see another side to the tale. It's a highly quirky account of a girl desperate to be loved.<br /><br />Rosenblum, a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is a freelance writer for publications including <em>Pop Matters</em>, the<em> Chicago Sun-Times</em> and the <em>Shepherd Express</em>. She also teaches creative writing at Chicago's StoryStudio. Rosenblum will appear at <strong>Boswell Book Co.</strong> on June 14 at 7 p.m.<strong><br /><br />Book Happenings</strong><strong><br /><br />Crime Authors at Mystery One</strong><br /><br />Hard-boiled crime fiction didn't end in the film-noir era of James M. Cain. It continues to be written in contemporary settings, with sharply chiseled characters moving through the moral twilight along page-turning plot twists. Two of the finest current practitioners will be in Milwaukee this week at <strong>Mystery One Bookstore</strong>, 2109 N. Prospect Ave. Steve Ulfelder's ex-con auto mechanic Conway Sax returns in <em>The Whole Lie</em>, a fine title for a story of political intrigue and mean streets. Edgar Award-winner David Ellis' <em>The Wrong Man </em>is a well-crafted murder-mystery swirling around a homeless Iraq War veteran. It's the latest from the Chicago attorney-novelist who helped prosecute Rod Blagojevich. Ulfelder reads at 7 p.m. June 14 and Ellis at noon June 16.