First published 2003
The protagonist navigates a world where every human interaction requires formal documentation. She drafts agreements for blind dates and draws up restraining orders to keep pushy relatives away from Thanksgiving dinner. Office refrigerator contents fall under OSHA oversight. When she enters a serious relationship, she and her partner must negotiate a comprehensive contract that defines everything from commitment levels to weight gain boundaries. The story follows her attempts to manage personal connections through legal frameworks, revealing how contracts both protect and constrain human relationships. At its heart, this is about someone trying to control the uncontrollable messiness of love, family, and friendship through the precision of legal language.
Genres: fiction, satire, contemporary, legal-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Period: 21st-Century
112 pages · Paperback · Workman Pub Co