36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant
Hildy is doing it for the experience. Paul is doing it for the $40. When the two meet at a psychology study where all they had to do was ask a list of questions and answer honestly, Hildy and Paul didn’t expect the relationship they both desperately needed could be found in the other.
The Story
So this was pretty unique. Mostly told in the format of Q&A Hildy and Paul’s banter is pretty endearing. Unfortunately since the majority of it is in this format…it was like reading someone’s chat log >entertaining? yes, but a full story? not really. Thankfully the Q&A is broken up a little with real life story going on in Hildy’s life. However, the story felt unfinished. Through the questioning, we get that Hildy is having some family issues, but they were just lightly touched upon even though they were used as conflicts throughout the book. The book was short, so there was definitely room for this to be explored.
The layout was rather unique since it had some instant messaging intermingled. It gave a realistic example of how you can get to know someone through that channel despite not having any face to face interaction. This was used to add an extra element of humor as Hildy berated Paul on his grammar and use of words. It also helped keep the conversation light while they tiptoed around some pretty sensitive issues.
The inclusion of Paul’s doodles were also plus, it helped break up the monotony of the Q&A format that dominated the book.
The Characters
Even though the entire book was essentially used to learn some intimate opinions and stories out of each character, I felt like I still hardly knew them. I did really like Paul though with his no nonsense attitude, but still willing to just barely open up to Hildy. It took a while for him to warm up to her, which sometimes can be rushed in other books.
The Soundtrack
Elliott Smith – Say Yes
