So, here we have another addition to the pack - first-time author Mike Gayle and his story of an average young man still infatuated with his ex-girlfriend. Mike Gayle used to be agony uncle at J17, the magazine for teenage girls, and it seems as though he used his time there wisely. His story includes as many cultural reference points as possible to widen his book's appeal. Will is Everyman, or at least he's meant to be. But in the end this is where the book falls down: Will is just too bland, too inconsequential to really care about.

That and his constant obsessing over his ex. By the time Will eventually comes to his senses, it's too late; we've had enough. If you knew anyone like Will, you'd give him a good hard shake and tell him to get a life.

"A hilarious novel for anyone who has ever dumped, been dumped or lived in a dump," runs the blurb on the book jacket. And there are some nice touches of humor here. Gayle even takes us into the toilet with him and gives us his protagonists thoughts with his trousers around his ankles, giving new meaning to the phrase "toilet humor".

This is not a "black" book and of course, there's no reason why it should be just because its author happens to be black. And it's not a "guy" book in the way that Nick Hornby's novels are. Nor is it a "chick" book, in the vein of Bridget Jones; it falls somewhere in between.

I can easily see this book being turned into a nice, cosy "Brit" film by Channel Four, of the kind that used to be made in the mid-Eighties. And I'm sure Gayle can too, which is probably why he included his film pitch in the book; why waste time, after all?

And that's another reason why the book doesn't quite work for me; it's far too cynical an exercise, it's writing by numbers, if you like. Every now and again there are flashes of the writer I think Gayle would eventually like to be, but "My Legendary Girlfriend" is fiction-lite; a pleasant enough read, but a book you wouldn't be too worried about leaving behind on a plane.

But for Waris the worst is far from over. She finally makes her way to Mogadishu to the house of an uncle who works as an ambassador. He then takes her to London with his family to work as his maid. It is here that Waris is discovered by a fashion photographer and launched on a highly successful modeling career, but there is still more trouble in store for her.

If you've ever whined about having a hard time at work or not having enough money to go to the sales, you should read this book: you will never complain again. Here in the West, it's easy to take things for granted - basic freedoms we never call into question. For Waris, this is a luxury she will possibly never afford, despite all her success. Nevertheless, throughout her various ordeals, she maintains a remarkably positive outlook and an exemplary determination to succeed which she attributes to her poverty-stricken background and traditional African upbringing. Her sense of self and faith in God keeps her going through one trial after another. It is no wonder that the United Nations chose her to be a spokesperson against the practice of female circumcision, which is the reason Waris has written this book, as part of an ongoing campaign to outlaw the barbaric custom that kills thousands of young girls every year and condemns many thousands more to a life of pain and misery. Girls as young as four are held down while an older woman removes their clitoris often using blunt, rusty implements and without anaesthetic. Just reading about it brought tears to my eyes. It's unfathomable how women can do this to each other in the name of tradition.

There are gaps and inconsistencies in this book, but for the most part it is a touching and compelling story and one that also has great humor. This is definitely a book you will want to share with your family and female friends.