A Certain Chemistry: A Novel [Paperback]

Mil Millington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2004

Brooding, self-loathing Tom Cartwright is a modestly successful ghostwriter whose ability to spell correctly and meet his deadlines has landed him the job of writing the autobiography of the wildly popular soap-opera star Georgina Nye. His imbibing, chain-smoking agent is swooning, and his offbeat, sweetly supportive live-in girlfriend of five years, Sara, is ecstatic—new carpets!

Yet even as he feverishly pens (read: mostly makes up) Georgina’s “straight-from-the-heart” life story (he’s thinking maybe a thoughtful, feminist angle), he is lusting for Georgina herself. Soon Tom—poor, misguided, painfully careening Tom—thinks he can have it all: a woman at home who loves him, and a hot, panting affair with a television diva. With a little planning, can it really be so hard?

In this clever, rollicking tale of sexual misadventures and the modern man, Mil Millington hilariously explores the sometimes foolish choices mere mortals can make when that certain chemistry forces us to think not with our heads or our hearts but with . . . well, things that usually lead us straight into serious trouble.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A British ghostwriter faces romantic temptation in Millington's sharp, hilarious second novel. Native Brit Tom Cartwright is a funny, slightly undermotivated 28-year-old writer living in Edinburgh who suddenly lands the deal of his life: he gets to ghostwrite the autobiography of Georgina Nye, the young Scottish star of a popular U.K. soap opera. Tom spices up Georgina's rather bland life while beating a tight deadline and steering clear of genre clichés, but soon the two find themselves pulled into a deeper relationship, despite Tom's devotion to his longtime girlfriend, Sara, a grocery store manager. Millington's plot is familiar: boy meets new crush, boy succumbs to her charms, problems ensue and boy realizes what he's lost as he scrambles to get back in the good graces of his first girl. What elevates the novel is Millington's crisp, comic writing, which includes sardonic but believable dialogue and tightly focused, laugh-out-loud scenes. Millington augments this fun mix with spot-on publishing satire. His use of God as an interstitial omniscient narrator pontificating on the neurochemistry of attraction is the one false note: God sounds sort of like a Valley Girl. The colorful secondary characters include Cartwright's gimlet-eyed agent, his dour editor and a lovely but icy head of publicity who tries to sabotage Tom's efforts to keep his affair a secret. Millington fulfills much of the promise he showed in his debut, Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Millington's second novel is based on a typical male fantasy. Tom Cartwright is a ghostwriter, and his latest assignment is to write the "autobiography" of Georgina Nye, a beautiful Scottish television actress. Sara, his sweet, devoted girlfriend, is initially enthusiastic about Tom's latest project, since she is a fan of Georgina's show, The Firth. Tom's first meetings with Georgina go smoothly, as he tries to turn her rather average life into an exciting tale; then, when Georgina kisses him, Tom gives into her advances. Their chemistry is undeniable, and Tom finds himself risking his relationship with Sara, whom he still loves, for the passion he shares with Georgina. But when Tom has to face the consequences of his affair, he finds he is not as equipped to deal with them as he thought. With its many laugh-out-loud moments, some of them based on hilarious slapstick situations, and others from divine commentary, Millington's novel is a charming and funny read. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Villard; American ed edition (May 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812966678
• ISBN-13: 978-0812966671
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tiny Eternity, August 17, 2004

By 

Existential Amazonaholic (Orem, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Certain Chemistry: A Novel (Paperback)

"A tiny eternity." Mil uses that phrase within the first couple pages of the book to describe a pause in conversation. I was hooked from that point on. His wry English wit may be a bit confusing to the uninitiated, but to those familiar with his web page he has a way in his writing of capturing the excrutiating experience that it is to be human. Though he and I live on opposite sides of the globe and are likely absolutely nothing alike, Mil's writing is accessible to me in a sort of everyman way. He manages to shed light on a lot of those little personality quirks that most of us have but would rather not talk about, and he does it in a way that makes us almost not mind the subject being brought up, and his characterizations are so over the top that they can't help but make you think of someone you know who is just like that! He has mastered the art of the snowballing situation and his characters, while seemingly making the most ludicrous choices imaginable, always seem to make the right choice given the outrageous circumstances. I can see myself in some of the situations his characters get into and I think that is one of the signs of great talent in an author.

Anyway, while this book is certainly more difficult to read than Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About because of its more serious subject, it is still laced with Millington's trademark off the wall humor and wry observations on life. I found myself caught up in the protagonist's excitement at the prospect of, first, a lot of money, then a lot of money and a new love affair. I laughed out loud as he feebly tried to carry on two love lives at once. Then, when it all inevitably came crashing down, I winced and maybe even shed a tear as he did his penance. I don't know for certain why the author decided to write this type of novel, but despite the light hearted humor and even the apologetic narration from God ("I'm sorry, but this is just human nature! I guess I didn't really know what I was getting you into."), the story is really an allegory on why infidelity just really isn't worth it when all is said and done. It's fun to read but it's got a lot to think about in those pages as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, July 21, 2005

By 

Butterscotch (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Certain Chemistry: A Novel (Paperback)

This book captured the complex creature known as man. The author does a tremendous job of involving us in the life of Tom, his girlfriend Sara, and his mistress, George. Through his relationship with these two women, and also the wonderful supporting characters, we see Tom at his best (and his worst). Tom is a ghostwriter with a vivid imagination, and we're treated to some of his musings through some hilarious scenes - the book is witty, at times laugh out loud funny, and yet the writing still maintains class and even a `message' about human nature. In fact, some of the best portions of the book are the introductions to each chapter, which are written by "God." I'm very pleased to have found this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for quality reading material with an edge.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, Funny and Creative, October 17, 2010

By 

J. B. perkins (Slingerlands, New York United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Certain Chemistry: A Novel (Paperback)

This is my first Mil Millington book and I have to say I just loved it. It took a chapter or two to get past the English/Scottish way of speaking - kind of like getting used to subtitles in a foreign movie - pretty soon you don't even notice it anymore. I found myself laughing out loud many, many times. I thought interposing God's voice throughout the narrative was creative and added a lot to the enjoyment of the novel. Yes, it was a serious subject and he said a lot about human nature, but he did it in a way that was refreshing and funny. He still managed not to soften the basic message or mask the real pain in the story. It was interesting how he ended it - not as predictable as one might guess. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more of Mil Millington's work.