The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard by Robert Bryndza

You've Got Mail and if Coco Pinchard has your email address you will have a lot of it.  This is no bad thing as her emails are full of snark and self-deprecating humour to describe the unravelling tragedy that is her life.  From a teenage son in the throes of first love, a wandering husband, strife with the mother and sister-in-law and a career that is dead in the water.  All that was missing was an overabundance of exclamation marks in her emails - or is that just me?

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, I picked it up as I love an epistolary novel and I wanted something light and fluffy as a holiday read.  What I actually got was a joyful look in to one woman's life with all it's frustrations and prat falls.  Coco Pinchard is winning at failing but refuses to stay down for long.  With her support network of Christopher and Marika you know that she is going to be okay but reading her frequent meltdown emails to the pair of them, and the odd one to her local newsagent and son, provided a great deal of pleasure.

I didn't laugh out loud but I did do a lot of snorting in appreciation.  One of the greatest sources of joy was her wonderfully named son, Rosencrantz Pinchard.  I just couldn't get past that name and it made me smile every time it was mentioned.  None of the situations she found herself I could relate to - apart from the inappropriate drinking and kebab snuggling - from my own life but it was so easy to imagine yourself in her shoes.

The highlights of the book for me where the book pulping (very Alan Partridge) and the Edinburgh Festival.  They may have been the highpoints but only in the way that Mount Everest is the high point of the Himalayas.  It is chock full of knowing observations and genuine zest of living.

The only thing this was missing was seeing everyone's replies to her emails - I so wanted to know what Christopher and Marika thought about some of the situations.