Overview
After four years of marriage, Jordan believes that he and his beloved Italian wife, Isabella, have found their happy ending. True, he’s not exactly winning over Hollywood with his screenplays, and to make ends meet he’s had to take a job teaching writing, but he’s certain his big break is just around the corner. So when Isabella suddenly leaves him and returns to her native Rome, Jordan refuses to accept that their marriage is over. Raised on romantic comedies and fed a steady diet of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, Jordan has always believed that there is a simple formula for love–and it follows the rhythm of the classic romantic comedy.Seizing on Isabella’s jealous nature, Jordan decides that in order to get her back, he must date another woman. But since he can’t imagine actually dating anyone else, he makes someone up. Her name is Naomi, and she’s based on a very attractive, very French former student of Jordan’s. To make their pretend relationship believable, Jordan “goes out” with Naomi in his imagination–providing her with dialogue, fleshing out her personality, even dressing her. All is going swimmingly–and the ruse seems to be working on Isabella–when Jordan realizes that Naomi has taken on a life of her own. She shows up everywhere, though only he can see her, and she seems to have a muselike agenda for the bewildered writer. Strangely, the phantom Naomi seems to provide the inspiration that Jordan’s screenwriting has been missing for so long.
But be careful what you wish for. Just when it looks as if Isabella may consider coming back, life with Naomi becomes even more bizarrely complicated, and soon Jordan is desperate to make her disappear. He’s learning the hard way that once Pandora’s box is opened, it’s a bitch to close.
Synopsis
After four years of marriage, Jordan believes that he and his beloved Italian wife, Isabella, have found their happy ending. True, he’s not exactly winning over Hollywood with his screenplays, and to make ends meet he’s had to take a job teaching writing, but he’s certain his big break is just around the corner. So when Isabella suddenly leaves him and returns to her native Rome, Jordan refuses to accept that their marriage is over. Raised on romantic comedies and fed a steady diet of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, Jordan has always believed that there is a simple formula for love–and it follows the rhythm of the classic romantic comedy.
Seizing on Isabella’s jealous nature, Jordan decides that in order to get her back, he must date another woman. But since he can’t imagine actually dating anyone else, he makes someone up. Her name is Naomi, and she’s based on a very attractive, very French former student of Jordan’s. To make their pretend relationship believable, Jordan “goes out” with Naomi in his imagination–providing her with dialogue, fleshing out her personality, even dressing her. All is going swimmingly–and the ruse seems to be working on Isabella–when Jordan realizes that Naomi has taken on a life of her own. She shows up everywhere, though only he can see her, and she seems to have a muselike agenda for the bewildered writer. Strangely, the phantom Naomi seems to provide the inspiration that Jordan’s screenwriting has been missing for so long.
But be careful what you wish for. Just when it looks as if Isabella may consider coming back, life with Naomi becomes even more bizarrely complicated, and soon Jordan is desperate to make her disappear. He’s learning the hard way that once Pandora’s box is opened, it’s a bitch to close.
Publishers Weekly
Screenwriter and writing instructor Mernit gives a slight twist in this middling debut to the standard romantic farce. Jordan's wife has left him, but the screenwriter and screenwriting instructor isn't worried-he has a plan to get her back. If he plays on her jealousy, she'll be forced to return. He can't bring himself to have an affair with a real woman, so he makes one up, modeling his fictitious girlfriend after Naomi, one of his former students. Of course, not too long after his ruse begins, Naomi shows up-but Jordan is the only person who can see or hear her. As imaginary Naomi cryptically prods Jordan to find his true path, he becomes entangled in his deceptions, especially when both his estranged wife and the real Naomi arrive in L.A. Half an analysis of the clichés of the romantic comedy genre and half a thinly veiled criticism of Hollywood, the novel keeps readers at a distance, indulging in long sidetracks about screenwriting and romantic comedies in general. In the end, Mernit is more interested in subverting genre tropes than in creating a fully realized novel. (Apr.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationEditorials
Publishers Weekly
Screenwriter and writing instructor Mernit gives a slight twist in this middling debut to the standard romantic farce. Jordan's wife has left him, but the screenwriter and screenwriting instructor isn't worried-he has a plan to get her back. If he plays on her jealousy, she'll be forced to return. He can't bring himself to have an affair with a real woman, so he makes one up, modeling his fictitious girlfriend after Naomi, one of his former students. Of course, not too long after his ruse begins, Naomi shows up-but Jordan is the only person who can see or hear her. As imaginary Naomi cryptically prods Jordan to find his true path, he becomes entangled in his deceptions, especially when both his estranged wife and the real Naomi arrive in L.A. Half an analysis of the clichés of the romantic comedy genre and half a thinly veiled criticism of Hollywood, the novel keeps readers at a distance, indulging in long sidetracks about screenwriting and romantic comedies in general. In the end, Mernit is more interested in subverting genre tropes than in creating a fully realized novel. (Apr.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationLibrary Journal
In his debut novel, story analyst and creative writing teacher Mernit (Writing the Romantic Comedy) offers up a romantic comedy straight out of a classic Hollywood film. When screenwriter Jordan Moore's exotic and tempestuous wife, Isabella, leaves him and returns to her native Rome, he wracks his brain trying to think of a way to win her back. Jordan soon latches onto the idea of inventing a lover for himself, which would spare him the mess of actually having to be unfaithful and make Isabella so jealous, she would come back to him. Naturally, as always happens with a scheme such as this, complications ensue before giving way to a rather confusing ending. Attempting to put his own stamp on the genre, Mernit laces his comedy liberally with tragedy-with mixed results. Interesting characters disappear as soon as we desire to know them better, and absorbing story lines drop off just as the laughs-or tears-start coming on strong. Mernit is a promising talent who might better hone his focus and definition. Recommended for larger fiction collections.
—Leigh Wright