The Trivia Man (Deborah O’Brien, Bantam)

Kevin is a middle-aged accountant who likes facts more than he likes people. While this isn’t a problem for Kevin, it is for others, such as his sister Elizabeth. When Elizabeth convinces Kevin to join a trivia group rather than field his own one-man team, he is introduced to other trivia buffs, among them, Maggie, a middle-aged woman who is alone for reasons of her own. As Kevin learns to interact with his new friends, relationships change, and he struggles to keep up. Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s son seems to be a little more fact-inclined than she would like. The Trivia Man is the latest novel from Deborah O’Brien (Mr Chen’s Emporium). It’s a feel-good, multiple point-of-view story reminiscent of Nick Hornby’s novels. Elements such as Kevin and Maggie’s potential romance also compare to Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project. However, The Trivia Man lacks some depth and believability, and O’Brien’s decision to omit the name of the syndrome that two characters are diagnosed with—which I assume is Asperger’s—feels a little patronising. The Trivia Man will appeal to fans of charming, heartwarming character novels.

Rebecca Butterworth is a Melbourne-based freelance writer