After four years of marriage, Jordan believes that he and his beloved Italian wife, Isabella, have found their happy ending. True, hes not exactly winning over Hollywood with his screenplays, and to make ends meet hes had to take a job teaching writing, but hes 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 loveand it follows the rhythm of the classic romantic comedy.Seizing on Isabellas jealous nature, Jordan decides that in order to get her back, he must date another woman. But since he cant imagine actually dating anyone else, he makes someone up. Her name is Naomi, and shes based on a very attractive, very French former student of Jordans. To make their pretend relationship believable, Jordan goes out with Naomi in his imaginationproviding her with dialogue, fleshing out her personality, even dressing her. All is going swimminglyand the ruse seems to be working on Isabellawhen 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 Jordans 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. Hes learning the hard way that once Pandoras box is opened, its a bitch to close.From the Hardcover edition.