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This book is obviously written by a seasoned professional. McDonald is a retired journalist who paints vivid pictures with words. For example, in explaining that he needs to find things out for himself, he doesn't simply write that he once licked a lighter to see if it was hot. He says, "Staring hypnotically at the lighter’s orange glow one day, I licked my tongue across its grill."
The primary subject matter, though, as the title implies, is not a literary mainstream novel but McDonald's intriguing tell-all about life for a single retiree looking for companionship in the 21st century. McDonald bravely describes his experiences with Internet dating while sharing the stories of other online daters, as well. Some of the stories are funny, some shocking, some heartwarming, and some downright tragic. One woman's experience involved wiring money to men while she was particularly vulnerable and needy. "They [sheriff deputies] told Sally that the whole thing was a big scam associated with the Taliban."
Sure, some of the experiences McDonald writes about serve as a warning about online dating, but several of the stories are uplifting and hopeful, making it apparent that there are a plethora of single adults on dating sites who are good people. The author himself seems like quite a catch: a well-spoken, well educated, liberal man that loves the arts such as poetry, novels, opera, theatre, and dance. His titillating subject and good prose make this memoir hilarious, thought-provoking, light, heavy and optimistic all at the same time. And as McDonald loves literary references, he might appreciate the conclusion that online dating, as he describes it, is a "brave new world" for singles.