A writer is caught between her calling and the man she loves in this “joyous, funny and bittersweet” novel (Newsday). Isaac and Nora haven’t seen each other in five years, yet when Nora phones Isaac late one night, he knows who it is before she’s spoken a word. Isaac, a photographer, is relinquishing his artistic career, while Nora, a writer, is seeking to rededicate herself to hers. Fueled by their rediscovered love, Nora is soon on fire with the best work she’s ever done, until she realizes that the story she's writing has turned into a fictionalized portrait of Isaac, exposing his frailties and compromises and sure to be viewed by him as a betrayal. How do we remain faithful to our calling if it estranges us from the people we love? How do we remain in love after we have seen the very worst of our loved ones? These are some of the questions explored in a novel that critics are calling “an absolute pleasure” (The Seattle Times). From the author of Florence Gordon and Starting Out in the Evening, this is a “novel of two star-crossed but self-absorbed artists facing crises of the heart and conscience. . . . An intriguing look at the nature of love and the need for acceptance” (Booklist). “I loved this book.” —Alice Sebold