Willy, a hack writer who wants to be a serious writer, is sentenced to community service for running over a local high school’s mascot. There, he meets Father Joe, who’s searching for the daughter he lost while he was in jail, and Shaq, who’s searching for his missing memories (and finds them in everyone else’s pasts).

In his spare time,Willy works (and fails) at breaking his dead wife’s espresso maker–a gift from some guy named Sean. He enlists the help of Ozena, one of Javatek’s customer service representatives. Ozena spends her spare time playing board games with her mentally handicapped son.

I had high expectations after My Name Is Russell Fink, and Snyder’s sophomore novel exceeds them. He’s retained his quirky characters and style (I’m giving him honorary Yankee status with his Woody Allen-like neuroticism), but the story in Return Policy is more sophisticated and his characterization more mature. He doesn’t shy away from hard questions and is able to pull off an unpredictable and satisfying end. Readers can’t ignore the complications of the situation–what would I do in that situation? What’s the right thing? There are no easy answers, and they demand more consideration than simple proof-texting.

His characters are so real, I forgot they were characters. The other night, I picked up the book before remembering that I had finished it. I indulged in an evening of silence (aka no reading) because I wasn’t ready to let go. I have a feeling I’ll be hearing Willy’s voice in my head (joining the others) for a long time.

I highly recommend this book for fans of Coupland and Hornby.