Out of Wedlock by Larry Lockridge is a deeply thoughtful and mildly amusing look at relationships and life’s perspectives. Jess Freeman spent his childhood in and out of various foster homes. Despite his difficult start in life, he has managed to become well-educated and now practices as a plastic surgeon, albeit a very middling plastic surgeon, in New York. When Jess has the opportunity to save the face of a badly injured young woman, he sets in motion a chain of events that will define his and his circle of friends’ lives for many years to come. From a young age, Jess has always been troubled by the trances he falls into, often at the most inconvenient times. As a man who never knew his birth parents, he wonders if these trances are in some way hereditary. Jess and his various new acquaintances all seem linked in some way and serendipitously appear in his life in a search for love, happiness, and meaning. It is a search that will take them back to Jess’ roots in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and will show them what is truly important in life.

Out of Wedlock was a joyous surprise to me and a wonderful read. This is the second book in a row I have read by Larry Lockridge and the two books could not have been more different in their style, yet each was extremely satisfying in its own right. Unlike The Great Cypress Think Tank which was heavy on farce and humor to deliver its message, this story is focused more on the interconnectedness of groups of people and how we are all linked to one another if we only have an eye open for the serendipity of life. What I loved about this story was the deep, underlying messages that the characters espoused through their actions; that you have to give before you can receive; that friendship, loyalty, and togetherness are far more powerful than the instant attractions of lust, or sex; that love has nothing to do with physical relations; and perhaps most importantly that despite our desires to constantly remodel ourselves, in the end, we are happiest and most fulfilled when we revert to who we are. The characters are wonderfully overdrawn and relatable. Lockridge has the amazing ability to conjure up mental pictures through the use of historical personages and their work or prose. This book confirms that the author has a broad range of styles and ideas that will appeal to a wide audience. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and can highly recommend it.

Out of Wedlock by Larry Lockridge is a gender-bending story about identity and modern love. This is also the third installment of Lockridge’s Enigma Quartet. Although we follow the lives of four modern couples, the focal point of the story is Jess Freeman, our protagonist. Jess is a plastic surgeon who suffers from lucid-like trances when he performs surgery. It follows the life of Jess after successfully altering a woman’s face, launching a series of events that lead him into humorous situations. He also meets different, eccentric characters, all in search of a new identity and new purpose in life. In a world of modern love and the advent of technology, these individuals struggle to find some authentic version of themselves through various misadventures and plot twists, eventually leading them to discover a new perspective on love and the community.

Out of Wedlock by Larry Lockridge is a chaotic mess of emotions and sexual exploration. It provides us with a new perspective on modern love and the things we hope for as individuals in a constantly evolving world. Lockridge treads with grace as he presents his stories with compassion and openness. The search for identity is the prevailing theme and Lockridge provides us with a plethora of philosophical and engrossing scenarios, and absurdity, which is effortlessly weaved in. Marcia Scanlon’s illustrations grace some of the pages, which makes some parts of the book more trippy. This is a fun and humane story for those who are struggling with self-identity.