Nice Knowing You

by Phil Torcivia, Anna V. Chastain (Illustrator)

Are you single? Divorced or widowed, perhaps? Are you having your second, third, or fourth go at soul mate searching? Me too! Do you look around at paired-up peeps and wonder why you haven’t been picked yet? Or, as I have learned, do you acknowledge the happy couple and snicker silently because you know where they’re heading? In the eight years since my divorce, I’ve gone on hundreds of dates. Now, I could consider that a problem, which I should have taken responsibility for after failure, say, number twenty. On the other hand, I can see it as a natural process for someone with such discerning tastes. Either way, if I don’t vent about my struggle I’m going to cramp up and need a new jacket and rubber walls. So, come with me on my little journey here in my sixth book on the subject. (There’s no end in sight.) I must warn you that I enjoy swearing and writing about sex. You’re going to see the F-word quite a few times in the following pages. If that ultra-flexible word is going to leave a bruise, put the fucking book down now. If it tickles you, follow me into hell in a wine bottle.

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Torcivia is a divorced man who transplanted himself from Pennsylvania into the treacherous dating pool in Southern California. His feline companions, Syd and Symon, share his home in San Diego and an occasional dish of leftover tuna. Torcivia loves nothing better than bellying up to the bar with his favorite social lubrication (wine) and watching the bizarre mating rituals of the locals, which he translates into humorous essays. He has been single long enough to be involved in a few train wrecks of his own, admitting that he's "one relationship disaster away from a third cat."

Reviews

[Byron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guy Torcivia writes brief, humorous essays on his life as a middle-aged, drunk, divorced guy, hanging out in bars, trying to get some stank on his hanglow - a shedload of them. There must be over a hundred of them in this book, and he's written eight or ten books in the past few years. It'd be more impressive if the humor was at all sophisticated. This is just a collection of dick jokes. Worse, it's the same dick jokes over and over again. (Well, I guess all dick jokes are the same jokes over and over again.) Admittedly, I did find myself chuckling every now and again. Giving it three stars instead of two mostly because I have the mind of an eight year-old boy.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for the reader who is easily offended. Approach with an open mind and a great sense of humour. Phil Torcivia delivers thigh-slapping, coffee-spitting humour interspersed with surprisingly insightful (and heartfelt) advice. I look forward to reading his other books.