“MY ROOMMATE IS A VAMPIRE” by Jenna Levine (Berkley, 352 pages, $17).
Cassie Greenberg is a struggling artist living in Chicago, working cobbled-together part-time jobs that still don’t cover the rent. Her landlord is evicting her for nonpayment, and despite scouring apartment listings, she can’t find a new place within her budget. She’s going to have to settle for crashing with her friend Sam and his husband — until she stumbles on a Craigslist posting for a roommate. The spacious third-floor brownstone apartment is in Lincoln Park, and the rent is a mere $200.
Thus opens Nashville writer Jenna Levine’s paranormal romcom, “My Roommate Is a Vampire.” The Craigslist ad mentions nothing about a vampire, of course, simply stating that the current tenant is “seldom home after sundown.” The ridiculously low rent alerts Cassie that something is amiss, but even if the listing is a scam, it would be irresponsible, she thinks, not to at least send an email and see if the room is still available.
Although advertised as romance, Levine’s novel is also very cozy. A woman working as a children’s librarian and a barista, devoting her spare time to her dream of being an artist — Cassie Greenberg is an immensely relatable character. She’s not a sexy 20-something looking for a hot boyfriend but an educated woman (with a Master of Fine Arts) suffering at the hands of the disaster that is the 21st-century economy. Cassie has followed the touted path to success, going to school, earning a terminal degree, and she, like many of us, is rewarded with underpaid jobs that inevitably leave her unable to pay the sky-high Chicago rent. Which is why, when she sees the listing for a spacious apartment with very few visible strings attached, she takes the risk.
The lister, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, replies to Cassie’s inquiry about the listing with a stiff formality at odds with the current century, and he also displays a clear lack of understanding about how to negotiate a rental agreement. He does not offer to let her view or tour the apartment. Instead, he simply writes, “Do let me know at your earliest convenience whether you would like to move in, and I will have the necessary paperwork drawn up for your signature.” Cassie thinks, “The email was so strangely worded and so formal, I had to wonder exactly how old this person was.” However, when she manages to negotiate a time to see the apartment before making her decision, she encounters not some out-of-touch wealthy old man, as she was expecting, but an immaculately dressed and very attractive guy who looks to be her age: