How SNL Inspired Curtis Sittenfeld’s Book ‘Romantic Comedy’: ‘I’m Not Sure This Novel Would Exist if Pete Davidson Didn’t Exist’
variety.comRachel Seo New York Times-bestselling novelist Curtis Sittenfeld broke out with her 2005 debut “Prep,” which unpacked the layered coming-of-age of a teenager at a private boarding school.
Since then, she’s spun “Pride and Prejudice” for the 21st century with 2016’s “Eligible” and reimagined the fictional lives of Laura Bush in “American Wife” and Hillary Clinton in “Rodham.” Now, with “Romantic Comedy,” Sittenfeld crafts a lighthearted romance between a late-night comedy writer and an aging pop star, framed within a smart, funny commentary about the dynamics and perceptions of celebrity relationships. “Romantic Comedy” follows Sally Milz, who writes for a fictional “Saturday Night Live”-esque show called “The Night Owls.” While not necessarily cynical about love, Milz has had enough experiences under her belt to mitigate her own expectations romantically.
When her friend and colleague, Danny Horst (by all accounts an average-looking, if talented, man) gets engaged to a gorgeous actress named Annabel Horst, Milz puts pen to paper to write a sketch called the Danny Horst Rule, riffing on the trend of very normal men pairing off with successful and captivating women — all the while emphasizing that the opposite never happens.
But when the show’s guest host, a pop star named Noah Brewster, begins to show interest in her, Milz finds her life upended and her own assumptions challenged when she starts to live in her own romantic comedy.
Read more on variety.com
