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Books: An unmarried woman
Jane Ganahl's got a lot of friends; what she really needs is a man!

by Elizabeth Stewart

NAKED ON THE PAGE: THE MISADVENTURES OF MY UNMARRIED MIDLIFE by Jane Ganahl. New York: Viking, 2007. 308 pp. $24.95.

"Jane Ganahl unleashed" is the best description of this funny, charming, moving and discreetly gossipy book by the former San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Taking the form of a "novelized memoir" (these seem to be the new rage, but at least Ganahl admits to it), the book covers the year that starts with the launch of her column, "Single Minded," and finishes at her 50th birthday.

It takes her a while to hit stride, so Naked on the Page starts slowly and seems full of one-liners interspersed with whining. But soon the book becomes a real page-turner. It covers several arenas of Ganahl's life: the tight bond she shares with Erin, her 23-year-old, off-to-law-school (sob) daughter; her family and the grief they still feel at the loss to cancer of both her mother and sister; a frustrating long-distance affair she has with a well-known jazz musician she calls "Lenny"; various bad dates and dreadful men; and her interconnected circles of friends, many of them high-profile San Franciscans. Ganahl uses this material to gleefully provide the back story of numerous partially reprinted columns.

The reader may be surprised to discover that Ganahl is apparently a big personality—a fiery redhead, outspoken, uninhibited, stubborn and strong-minded. Fonda, not Austen. Or is this the fictionalized part? Probably not; though certainly the tone of Naked differs markedly from the "Single Minded" columns, which are considerably more staid, no doubt tailored to a family newspaper. The burden of her discontent is the continuing lack of a stable, loving, long-term relationship; a marriage, if possible, to a man who meets her specific tastes: a pirate, a Leo, who is also a nice person.

Compounding this hole in her life in spades is her approaching 50th birthday: a watershed known to many women, when hormones suddenly play havoc with your emotions and your figure—while simultaneously and on cue (so far as men are concerned) you disappear into the wallpaper, never to be seen again. This is truly terrifying and Ganahl takes it hard. Obviously, though, as is well known by the author herself and frequently pointed out by her friends, Ganahl keeps tripping herself up with her expectations: "Part of me hates that I'm hardwired this way. Part of me thinks I'm entitled to that dichotomy. Is it too much to ask for a man with a foot in both worlds? Who is both exciting and edgy, yet kind of heart and gentle of nature? Perhaps a Formula I race car driver who shows up at your door with fresh cut daisies? Or a world traveling photo-journalist who has long hair and scars but who starts conversations with 'Can we share our feelings for an hour or two?' "

Ganahl's many friends and the literary events they attend (she helped found Litquake, holds her own salon and is involved with members of The Grotto, the well-known writer's colony in San Francisco) provide her the opportunity to recount some diplomatic but intriguing glimpses for the nosy. There is old friend and confidante Phil (Bronstein, editor of the Chron) who is experiencing marital difficulties with his actress wife, and who is often at the receiving end of angry phone calls and hysterical acting out. There are dear friends Po (best-selling author Bronson) and Craig (of the List) and Vanessa and Billy (Getty). There are more best-selling authors—Ethan (Canin) and Michael (Chabon)—plus, among others, filmmakers Dan (Geller) and Dayna (Goldfine). The reader is caught in the mad whirl that is Ganahl's social circle, which (along with her rewarding relationship with Erin, her very successful career and the admittedly disappointing but hilariously told dates that come her way) make for a full life indeed. This woman wants more?

Well, yes she does. As for many of us, the grass is greener. So one of the most satisfying aspects of Naked is Ganahl's realization that society has sold her a bill of goods: She has bought into the myth that it's impossible to be happy, self-respecting and fulfilled on her own. That, in fact, by her own insistence on finding the impossible man and always falling hard for Mr. Unavailable she has been protecting her own true nature. At a college reunion a friend tells her that the single life seems to agree with her. "It's what you always said you wanted. You used to say that monogamy would never work for you...that you hated the idea of being with someone 24/7...you only married Erin's dad because he wouldn't live with you." Ganahl fans will love not only Naked on the Page, but the motto on the blog at her new Web site (www.janeganahl.com), Jane Ganahl: Musings of a Happy Spinster.

Jane Ganahl will give a talk and book signing at 7pm, February 20, at Book Passage in Corte Madera.