The Squid and the Spaceman

A comedic novel that combines romantic dysfunction, edgy humor, while exploring the fluid nature of intimacy, independence, and bodily functions. It also addresses the question: How much can - and should you -- change for someone you love?

It's 2015 and Boston is being colonized by gendertrenders, biotech hipsters, and artisanal pickle shops. Two tone-deaf fifty-somethings, unhappy with the city's transformation, meet and fall in love.

Randall is chronically single. Jackie doesn't date men; she marries them. He's Jewish and trying to reinvent himself as an artist. She's Chinese-American and drives a muscle car. Both are struggling with their ethnic identities and worry they've aged out of the local dating pool. Both fear that this relationship is their last chance for happiness.

After four months of dating, Randall develops insomnia and Jackie develops an ulcer. Because Randall has never been married, they both agree he's the problem. He locates a therapist, Dr. Byrnes, who creates a plan for turning him into marriage material. On Byrnes' suggestion, Randall and Jackie attend a fetish conference to resuscitate their middle-aged sex life.

Randy Ross is a Boston-area writer, performer, and former executive editor for PC World magazine. His fiction, humor, and erotica have appeared in The Drum, Black Heart Magazine, Side B Magazine, and Calliope, among others. His first novel, God Bless Cambodia, was published by The Permanent Press in 2017. His one-man shows, The Chronic Singles Handbook and Tales of a Reluctant World Traveler, have been featured at indie theater festivals around the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.