The Pleasure of My Company is a first-person narrative whose central character, Daniel Pecan Cambridge, is a little ... idiosyncratic? Odd? Neurotic? Abnormal? All of the above? You be the judge: He can only cross streets at driveways symmetrically opposed to one another, the total output of light in his apartment must always equal 1,125 watts, and in attempts to find love, usually comes across more stalker-like than Casanova.

Throughout the short novel, Daniel fantasizes about wooing three different women -- and makes embarrassing attempts to actually do so; deals with passing the of time now that he's unemployed (acting as an extra in a crime show, for example); and is caught in a bizarre lie after entering the "Most Average American" essay contest, in which he submits one essay from himself, and another from a fictional person.

The story begins a little slowly and tediously, being almost too sharply written for its own good (in fact, I nearly put this back on the shelf after the first few chapters). Steve Martin clearly has a firm grasp of language and writing, and his cleverness for storytelling is quite evident. But once beyond the opening pages, a tender, heartfelt story takes shape, that is both humorous and touching, and well-worth finishing.

Whether you're a fan of Steve Martin's vast comedic work on screen and stage or not, I definitely recommend The Pleasure of My Company, as it will likely make you a fan of his writing.