LONELY HEARTS

by Adams, Gill

A sparkling tale of romance and relationships from the author of OFF OUT. From school discos to Rita and Bernie’s wedding day, LONELY HEARTS spans twenty years in the lives of Rita and Bernie, and their best friends Silv and Bob. Their all-out search for the perfect mates of their dreams begins at the last school dance, when a shy and awkward Bernie and an equally uncomfortable Rita almost hit it off - but not quite. Bob is preparing to leave for the army, and sets out for one final conquest - with disastrous results for him and Silv. Rita and Bernie drift apart, and over the years each character finds themselves still trying to find true love.

Finally, with ten days to Valentine’s Day, Rita hatches a plan. She and Silv decide to try the lonely hearts columns . . . and so do Bernie and Bob. In a hilarious scene of confused identities, all arrive unknowingly at a Wild West-themed pub night, dressed as Butch Cassidy and Calamity Jane in preparation for thier blind dates. When they eventually meet, Bernie and Rita’s reunion quickly leads to the wedding aisle, while the barbed wit of Silv and Bob quickly boils over into jealous tensions - neither can bury the past and begin anew.

A farcical romance on one level, LONELY HEARTS also skilfully explores the parts of relationships where things are too often left unsaid and emotions misdirected.