Flawed but human

I just finished a debut novel called Design Flaws of the Human Condition by Paul Schmidtberger. I don't read much fiction these days, and even less of what could be pigeonholed as "gay fiction," but this looked like a cute "Will & Grace"-type story, and the cover art was done, I believe, by a cartoonist whose name has slipped my mind but whose work I have enjoyed over the years (I'll correct this when I get a chance to look at the book's "T.p. verso," librarian lingo for the page behind the title page).

The book centers on a gay man (Ken) and a straight woman (Iris) who meet in an anger management class they have both been sent to, unfairly they believe, and strike up a friendship which itself becomes centered on their cheating partners: Ken has just thrown his boyfriend out after catching him cheating, and Iris discovers information leading her to think that her boyfriend is having a fling with a work acquaintance. In a Strangers on a Train twist, they agree to spy on each other's partners to sort out what's what. They both learn things about the partners, about themselves, and about relationships.

The plot is solid, and I liked the fact that it didn't necessarily go in predictable directions (I thought for sure that Iris's bf was going to wind up gay, but that doesn't happen). The lead characters seem like real human beings and are quite charming. The details about places and characters seem right. The only real weakness was in the humor; maybe I'm being unfair because the set-up seemed so sit-commy, but I was expecting wittier writing, more laugh-out-loud dialogue. The tone of the book is definitely comic, but I rarely did more than crack a smile. Still, I enjoyed the time I spend with the characters, and I liked the way things turned out.