Conversations with Mr. Prain:

In Taylor's intriguing but uneven debut novel, the power of the imagination is pitted against reality in the relationship between an unpublished novelist and a powerful book publisher. Polar opposites-in the literary world and otherwise-struggling young writer and artists' model Stella first meets publishing mogul Edward Prain in the bookstall she runs. Prain becomes a regular, and though they know they make an unsuitable match, the two engage in some intellectual flirting that turns serious when Prain asks to read her work-and then reveals that he bought a nude photo of her a year before. When Stella moves into Prain's mansion to work on her manuscript, her imagination begins to run away with her, and a cat-and-mouse game of sexual attraction and psychological manipulation ensues. Amid much discussion of the art and publishing worlds, Taylor tells a compelling story. Her characters, especially Stella, have a tendency to act on strange motives and reach nonsensical conclusions, apparently to accommodate the ideas Taylor wishes to explore-the role of fantasy in life, art and commerce, and the potential for destruction that lies therein. Though it can puzzle and ultimately frustrate-especially in the silly, rushed denouement-this novel takes smart chances and almost pulls them off.