"You're in for a great ride of twists and turns. A novel for our time. Irresistible."

- Odile Hellier, author of Village Voices

Sherry McManus, a New York photographer of musicians in concert, has been around the block in love. As she begins a relationship with Thomas G. Paine, she asks herself: Is the pursuit of happiness worth the risk? Tom, a formerly best-selling author who hasn't published a book in seven years, is trying to get his life back on track a year after separating from his wife. Although unrelated to Tom Paine the revolutionary, he has built his career publishing novels under the titles of his famous namesake: Common Sense, The American Crisis. Sherry and Tom play a game in bed, telling stories as a prelude to sex. As he at last begins a new book, neither can imagine that their entanglement will upend both their lives and spark a national conversation about artistic legitimacy and the rights of women.