Elegant and accomplished but inexplicably passionless, New York contemporary art gallery owner Lynn Gallagher pursues a counterintuitive cure for her ennui in Filipacchi's (Nude Men
) brisk but schematic novel. Inspired by the yearning of the man (pudgy, balding accountant Alan Morton) stalking her, Lynn seeks to regain what he seems to have but she lacks: desire. "Various men. Travel. Discovering new artists.... hearing updates on my friends' lives. I used to feel really passionate about all these things," Lynn tells her assistant. In the hopes that the act of pursuit will generate desire, Lynn arbitrarily selects a man to tail, the handsome French attorney Roland Dupont. Alan, in turn, observes the competition, joins Roland's gym and starts a reluctant friendship with his rival. Meanwhile, Roland's aversion to Lynn turns to attraction once he learns her stalking is spurious. Observing all these antics is bewildered Ray, psychologist turned homeless person, who dispenses advice (and occasionally abuse) to the determined troika. The story unfurls swiftly with amusingly sober discussions of ridiculous topics, amounting to a whimsical look at the connections we make and the desires that drive us. Agent, Melanie Jackson. (June)
