It Had to Be You

--Publishers Weekly March 3, 1997 It Had to Be You is a grown-up story about a marriage not made anywhere within the vicinity of Heaven. Yet it is no mere dysfunctional shoot-out. Joan and Ernest are clearly made for each other. When he tells her, well into the marriage, that "suspense is good," we believe him, maybe even cheer for him. Both of them are, after all, far more fragile than they would like to think they are--which is why they are both a perfect fit and a perfect mismatch, whose dialogue (interior and exterior) brings to the fore the edgy lyrics of some of our favorite "love" songs.