For Ben Hudnut, the hero of Carkeet's delightful new novel, life has been good. A self-made business success and a happily married father of four, he cannot fathom that he is about to become a modern-day suburban Job. A casual affair that happened a decade ago is about to return to haunt him; his gourmet nut business is in unsuspected jeopardy; and his eldest daughter just may be involved with one of her high school teachers.

Across town, unemployed linguist Jeremy Cook is stumbling through his own version of life, wondering just where he belongs - certainly not in Ben Hudnut's world, which he is about to enter. What follows is a rich comedy of errors, a literary entertainment that will only enlarge Carkeet's devoted following.