Stuck in the Passing Lane. A Memoir by Jed Ringel

Depressed about his separation from his wife, Jed Ringel turns to online dating and drink. Unfortunately, his dating experiences exacerbate both his anguish and his drinking problem! It is no wonder because Ringel's masochistic trait leads him into going out with a lot of 'unsuitable' women, including an old friend, two Russian women and a literary woman who loves Jane Eyre.

When Ringel discovers that the old girlfriend wants to make her husband jealous and the literary lady has an apartment full of rags and broken things, he has a mini-breakdown.  However, someone suggests that he try dating Russian women.  He finds an intellectual woman who he likes so much that he ends up on a plane to Moscow! I found this the most interesting part of the book, because of his grim description of Moscow - everyone wants bribes and he has to run away from a 'policeman' who demands his passport in one frightening incident.  He also gets into trouble when he accidentally starts dating a Russian prostitute online.

I enjoyed the book, although it was rather miserable most of the time.  However, Ringel's self-deprecating humour and amusing tales livened it up somewhat.  He does describe his experiences with the women in rather clinical detail, and I felt that this was 'too much information'.  However, it's worth reading if you like this kind of autobiography.

Stuck in the Passing Lane by Jed Ringel
Smith Publicity
Kindle Price: $7.99

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