Signing up to read any Tia Williams novel guarantees an encounter with her signature attributes: love, humor, intensity, whimsiness. With equal parts, Williams offers a combination of each in the incredibly complex and animated characters she writes. If there’s one thing to note about her writing, it’s that she doesn’t shy away from downright ridiculousness — in the best possible way.
Williams’ novel, The Missed Connection — out June 9 — offers all of the above. We meet Sasha Cruz, a casting agent, during the aftermath of a traumatic stalking experience, and she is functioning as a shell of herself. Although the event took place several years ago, the effects of having her personal safety violated are a lingering burden. Like many people who experience stalking, she isn’t the same person she previously was. Normalcy, as she knew it, has shifted. Now, Sasha is hyper-vigilant, anxious, and inches away from being agoraphobic.
Just as she’s starting to put her life back together, Sasha has a chance encounter with a handsome stranger during a flight to Europe. But as fate would have it, the hustle and bustle of airport traffic intercepted before they could seal their connection.
From there, Sasha resorts to enlisting the help of Wesley ‘Wes’ Dane, a friendly detective from the past, to find the man who might just be her soulmate. The more Sasha and Wes work together, the more the past threatens to unravel the already fragile rapport between them. As the story unfolds, it proves to be an adventurous rollercoaster of yearning, lust, and fear. The majority of the conflict lies in all the things left unsaid out of fear of vulnerability.
In discussing the dynamic between Sasha, the mystery man, and Wes, Williams shared that she spent much of the writing process thinking about timing. “When it comes to love, it can [potentially] ignite sparks with the right person, propel you towards the wrong person, or do both, simultaneously,” she stated. “In love, timing rules us all.”
Williams manages to do what she does best: build a captivating story with humor woven throughout serious themes like stalking, anxiety, and nervous system regulation, without dilution. What I enjoyed most was the whimsical lightness in Williams’ storytelling. Every character is unique and refreshingly witty, offering a reprieve from the surplus of sameness we’re experiencing in real-time.
Admittedly, Sasha and Wes are some of the most infuriating characters I’ve encountered. Over time, I’ve realized that all infuriation isn’t completely negative. Both characters made me feel anger, excitement, second-hand embarrassment, and pure annoyance at times.
There were a few places within the storyline where I wanted further detail and exploration. We get a glimpse of Sasha’s relationship with her parents, but in some pivotal moments of her life, Williams is vague. I desired more resolute, definitive closure in particular scenes, but felt like I’d been left hanging with the elusive question of ‘now what?’ There were also a few points in the story that felt like nothing was happening, as if it wasn’t building toward the resolution. I think had the book been a smidge longer, it could have made room for additional detail.
Overall, The Missed Connection offered an opportunity to be consumed, laugh, and experience a handful of uniquely flawed characters. While there were moments where I craved greater depth and resolution, Williams succeeds in creating a story that feels emotionally lived-in. Sasha and Wes may test readers’ patience, but they also embody the messy reality of learning how to trust, love and move forward after pain.
If nothing else, The Missed Connection is a reminder that the most meaningful connections often require us to confront the very things we’ve worked hardest to avoid.