Paul Mandelbaum Adriane on the Edge

Adriane on the Edge

Paul Mandelbaum

Berkley, Dec 2005, $23.95

ISBN: 0425208036

At twenty eight, Baltimore area single, Adriane Gelki struggles with her existence caused by her deep rooted feelings of being unwanted and unloved by anyone ever since her parents committed a double suicide. She works at City Hall's Office of Neighborhood Enhancement, but feels like a member of the living dead, as her gut wrenching loneliness reaches every aspect of her soul, and in a self prophecy Pygmalion Effect prevents her from reaching out to others, which in turn isolates her further.

Digging into her heart for courage, Adriane vows to live life on the edge, which in her case is a very tiny but critical step towards meeting someone. Joking, a new concept for Adriane, she solicits an undercover cop, only to be arrested for prostitution; sentenced to counseling, Adriane feels at home when her therapist drops dead during their session. Every effort to join the living seems to lead to a further setback; even her adopted dog bites her during the night. Still Adriane continues her pledge to live, albeit not to successfully.

ADRIANE ON THE EDGE is an amusing yet deep character study of a young woman trying desperately to find herself beyond the shadow life she lives by connecting with others; a daunting task for an individual never recovered from her parents' suicides. The series of incidents that Adriane fumbles and stumbles through are hyperbole that leads to a dark serio-comedy, as beyond the laughter is the fundamental need to belong. Paul Mandelbaum uses graveyard humor to provide a picture of hope, even when the darkness engulfs seemingly every molecule that makes up a person who just wants to connect with anyone.