Ever After
A Novel
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
After he and Jasmine have spent more than two years together, Nick is certain the time has come to settle down; he’s never been so in love before, and Jasmine is everything he could ever hope for in a woman. As he sets the stage with a romantic weekend in an exquisite log cabin nestled in the Vermont wilderness, Nick pops the question, to which Jasmine replies, "I have to think about it."
When she turns him down, Nick is shattered. Heartbroken, he moves to Chicago for a new job and a new start. Determined to put his experience with Jasmine behind him, Nick takes the advice of his best friend, Malloy, and sets out to drown his sorrows in fine female companionship. After dating women from his gym (Asanti), his classes (Angelica), and clubs (Tamara), Nick finds himself more depressed by the superficiality of the relationships and no closer to erasing Jas-mine’s memory. Nick is equally disappointed with his work–his job at the bank is uninspiring–and the best parts of his week are the acting classes he signed up for on a whim.
When old college friends invite him down to Atlanta for Freaknik, Nick is ready to let loose and enjoy the wild and sometimes scandalous spring-break activities. His interest is further piqued when he learns that Jasmine has relocated to Atlanta. Ultimately, Nick must decide whether he wants to re-create what he had with Jasmine or move on with his life. Without Jasmine, can Nick live happily ever after?
Nick’s Six Cardinal Rules of Dating
No. 1: Never date someone from a health club. Health club relationships are doomed from the start. Their whole premise relies upon physical attraction, a foundation with all the durability of rice paper.
No. 2: Never date someone with whom you work. That is a no-brainer.
No. 3: Never date someone from class. If all goes sour, you’re stuck seeing a pissed-off face mean-mugging you for the rest of the quarter.
No. 4: Never let an ex back into your life. Exes only exist to stir up long-settled emotions and to confuse you. And they do.
No. 5: Never date a neighbor. If all hell breaks loose, you can’t get rid of your neighbor . . . legally.
No. 6: Never date a married woman. It’s just plain wrong.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Boy gets girl, boy loses girl and girl tries to come back into boy's life in Jackson's slick, repetitive debut novel about a pair of African-American lovers. Nick is a Seattle native who moves from Atlanta to New York to work for a bank while finishing up his M.B.A. After settling in, he becomes deeply involved with the fickle Jasmine, who still has some issues with a previous boyfriend named Jacques. Two years into the relationship, Nick is ready to take the plunge into commitment and marriage, but he is devastated when Jasmine turns down his proposal, and he immediately takes a similar job in Chicago to put the situation behind him. Most of the book consists of monotonous episodes in which the angst-ridden Nick conducts tryouts to replace Jasmine, but he remains haunted by his gorgeous ex, who has moved to Atlanta to take a production job in television. Nick finally meets his old lover during a party weekend in Atlanta, and although sparks fly between them, Jasmine continues to hold back from Nick. Push finally comes to shove when Nick makes a career change from business to acting school and moves to San Diego to be closer to the L.A. film world, a move that sparks Jasmine's interest. Jackson pens some entertaining scenes that present an African-American spin on 20-something relationships, but the constant self-absorption of both lovers often renders them unlikable and annoying, especially during Nick's dating scenes. The ending offers a slightly different spin on the usual boy/girl resolution, but despite some promising passages, this romantic soap opera remains an inconsistent affair. 7-city author tour.
