Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Set in the late 90's and the beginning of the new Millennium, computers and the internet is not something everyone's quite familiar with. 28-year-old Lincoln is hired as the new IT guy at a newspaper called The Courier. Lincoln's job is to read the employees' mail and warn anyone who ends up in the so-called WebFence folder for using any inappropriate words and such. The job makes Lincoln feel bad. What he's doing is wrong, but there's one thing holding him back from quitting his job. Since Lincoln started working at the newspaper, he has been enjoying reading the email-exchange between the friends Beth and Jennifer. Lincoln continues his work, although it's boring, and nothing much happens in his life. The emails between Beth and Jennifer are just about the only exciting part of his life, but he soon grows too attached to one of the women, but is it possible to fall in love with someone you've never even met?

Everyone in Lincoln's social circle worries about him. He is 28 years old, single and he still lives with his mother. The problem is that Lincoln has reached an age where he is supposed to have figured out what to do with his life and this pressures him. It seems as if his life has reached a stopping point. Nothing interesting is going on and Lincoln does nothing to change that. Until he starts his new job at The Courier. Only then Lincoln starts to change. He goes out some more and he meets people - although he does have poor social skills and can be extremely awkward. Lincoln develops slowly throughout the novel which only made his character more reliable and also relatable. Rainbow Rowell has this way of creating characters who you can almost always relate to in some kind of way. I understand Lincoln's hopelessness and the way he just doesn't know what to do with his life. I'm sure anyone can relate to that.  I love how Lincoln changes for the better. He definitely becomes more independent and eventually makes some important decisions. 

Jennifer and Beth are equally entertaining women. They are intelligent and very caring. Their emails are amusing and even though they discuss something serious, they manage to make you laugh. Both women are great and I truly admire their friendship. They really care about each other in an honest way. But they also manage to hurt each other and make up again - which is normal for any friendship. I do see why Lincoln ended up caring for both women and eventually fell in love with one of them. 

Growing up and letting go is definitely a theme in this novel. Lincoln still lives at home in his mother's comfort which has everyone worried. Especially Lincoln's sister Eve. Lincoln's mom has a hard time letting her son go on to live his life. She wants him to live at home and still be his little boy. 

If we take a look at Beth and her longtime boyfriend Chris.. there are definitely some issues. Chris never seems to want to grow up, but he cares deeply for Beth. Their love is mutual, but they don't want the same things - in fact they never will. It takes a long time for Beth to realize this, but once she does, it is only for the better. 

Did I enjoy reading this novel? I most definitely did. It was amusing, interesting and also a bit thought-provoking. In general, I just LOVE Rainbow Rowell's way of writing. Her style is mysterious and oh so beautiful. Not to mention her genius dialogs! Rainbow Rowell is such a talented writer and you'll definitely enjoy every single work of hers. 

Rainbow Rowell, HEAT, 357 pages, 2011