Laura and Charlie Rider have been married for twelve years. Although Charlie’s enthusiasm in the bedroom has worn Laura out, they are happy enough. Jenna Faroli is the host of a popular radio show, and after she and Charlie cross paths one day, she, he, and Laura begin an e-mail correspondence. Laura cannot resist using Charlie to try out her new writing skills. But the “project” quickly spins out of control—Jenna is transformed in ways that deeply disturb her, and Laura is transformed in ways that are hilarious, poignant, and beyond her wildest expectations.

JANE HAMILTON’s first novel, The Book of Ruth, was published in 1988 and won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, among others, and was also an Oprah’s Book Club Pick. In 1994, she published A Map of the World, which was adapted for a film in 1999 and, the same year, was also an Oprah's Book Club selection. Her third novel, The Short History of a Prince, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998. Hamilton lives in Rochester, Wisconsin.