1990. Please write and tell me why you should live here. Toby Dobbs received a big Victorian house with too many bedrooms to count as a wedding present from his father, but his marriage is over within a month. Very alone, and very lonely, Toby posts an advertisement seeking the "Unexpectedly Alone" to become his roommates. Fifteen years later the wayward souls he takes in are still living with him, with no intention of leaving. 2004. Please tell me how I can convince you to move out. Toby Dobbs has met Leah Pilgrim from across the road, and they're falling in love. But before they can begin a new life together, Toby and Leah must help Toby's house of sweet slackers and lovelorn misfits grow up, solve their problems, and set themselves free. But can their new relationship survive the test? Leah lives across the street from a ramshackle Victorian mansion called the Peacock House, and the only thing odder than the house itself is the people who live in it. For years she’s been curious about her neighbors but too polite to do anything but watch them come and go. When an accident happens right on their doorstep, however, Leah is finally introduced to the members of Peacock House, including Toby, the landlord. Toby took on his curious tenants out of empathy, but now that he’s nearly 40 he realizes he’s stagnated and needs a change—starting with his house. As Leah slowly becomes involved with Toby and the house, Toby takes it on himself to learn more about his tenants, why they’re there, and where they’re going, and this inquiry includes himself. Leah and Toby’s quiet relationship is touching and believable; the tenants are eccentric, but behind their quirks stand very real characters with emotional depth. A truly satisfying read that’s sincere without being sugary. --Hilary Hatton “It’s an intriguing premise: What if your very first love was the one you’ve been destined for all along? ...What makes their story much more than a cutesy chick-lit tale is Jewell’s realistic, often dark portrayal of modern love. The story, populated with well-drawn characters, is ridiculously readable, too. A-” - Entertainment Weekly “This is one of those rare books with the variety, complexity and unexpectedness of real life.” - Daily Telegraph (London) 1990. Please write and tell me why you should live here. Toby Dobbs received a big Victorian house with too many bedrooms to count as a wedding present from his father, but his marriage is over within a month. Very alone, and very lonely, Toby posts an advertisement seeking the "Unexpectedly Alone" to become his roommates. Fifteen years later the wayward souls he takes in are still living with him, with no intention of leaving. 2004. Please tell me how I can convince you to move out. Toby Dobbs has met Leah Pilgrim from across the road, and they're falling in love. But before they can begin a new life together, Toby and Leah must help Toby's house of sweet slackers and lovelorn misfits grow up, solve their problems, and set themselves free. But can their new relationship survive the test? Lisa Jewell is the author of six novels, including Ralph's Party and Vince and Joy . Born and raised in north London, she lives there still with her husband and children. Roommates Wanted A Novel By Lisa Jewell HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright ©2008 Lisa Jewell All right reserved. ISBN: 9780061137471 Chapter One Fifteen Years Earlier 1 August 1990 Toby, Jemma and I are leaving for Cape Town tomorrow morning. I'm sorry we'll miss your wedding next week, but I'm sure you understand. I am enclosing a set of keys. I have bought you and Karen a house as a wedding gift. Peter got it at auction. I haven't seen it, but Peter assures me it was a good buy. In need of some TLC, but structurally sound. Which is just as well, as this house also represents your inheritance. I thought it best you have something now as I will be abroad for the foreseeable future and, once Jemma and I start our new family, things will get complicated in terms of who gets what. Much simpler this way. Property is the thing, Toby. You're on the ladder now. I can see big things happening with the London property market. Make the most of it. Peter says there's one snag. A sitting tenant. I'm sure he'll be able to advise you on how to get him out. I've enclosed Peter's card, if you need him. I wish you and Karen all the best for Saturday. Jemma and I will raise a glass of champagne to you both as the sun sets over Camps Bay. Nothing much else to say except good luck, I suppose. Best, Reggie/Dad In August 1990, Reggie Dobbs came to the bitter conclusion that raising his only son had been a complete waste of his time, his money and his sperm. He still recoiled at the memory of what bearing this gigantic heffalump of a boy had done to his first wife's young, firm body and had never forgiven him for it. The enormous infant had continued to grow at a disgusting rate, six foot three at thirteen and thin as a stre