Charlotte Street

The smart, sweet, and hilarious first novel from the bestselling British humourist, filmmaker, comedian, writer and actor Danny Wallace

Jason Priestley is in something of a rut. And no, not that Jason Priestley. This is the 32-year-old Jason Priestley who gave up his job as a teacher to pursue his journalistic dreams—writing snarky reviews of cheap restaurants for the free newspaper they give you on the train, the one you take but don’t read. He’s living above a video-game shop, between a Polish news agent and that place that everyone thinks is a brothel but isn’t. And now he’s found out on Facebook that the girlfriend who left him is engaged.

Reflecting on his most recent Facebook status—“Jason Priestley is . . . eating soup”—Jason’s beginning to think he needs a change. So when he notices a girl on the street struggling with an armload of packages, he surprises himself by offering to help her. She smiles an incredible smile, and there’s something, a fleeting moment that feels like a beginning. But her cab pulls away, the sense of possibility cruelly cut off until Jason notices that she’s dropped a disposable camera.

In the hands of his socially inept best friend, Dev, what begins as a far-fetched idea becomes a full-fledged quest to find the woman of Jason’s dreams. Exploring that most common question—What if?—the ensuing adventure is surprising, tender and often hilarious.