Book Doctor

Book excerpt: Everyone wants to write a book. Arlette Rosen knows this and earns her living helping strangers with their book ideas: books about Derrida and dieting, books of psychic exercises, a compendium of Alzheimer's jokes, and of course, an infinite number of books about love. Enter Harbinger Singh: a tax lawyer still in love with his ex–wife and set on revenge, who believes he can win her back by writing a book. All he needs is help with the actual writing. The lives of Arlette and Harbinger intertwine in unexpected ways as they meander along a path filled with writing, sex, movies, love, music, and continual revelation. Cohen has crafted a modern–day romance and a hilarious, knowing look at the troublesome process of bringing a book into the world—for readers and struggling writers everywhere.