What do you do when your husband disappears? Just pretend he's still aroud, of course. That's the premise behind the excellent and witty first novel of Nina Solomon.

You would think that another novel about a pampered, wealthy wife in New York City would be ordinary and rife with been-there situations and comments. You might think it's another blistering attack on the shallowness of such women and the superficiality of such lifestyles. But from the very beginning, Solomon's characters, particularly the main character, are touchingly human and relatable. The story begins when XXX realizes that her husband, given to disappearing unexpectedly for days at a time for no reason at all, has been gone longer than usual.

Is he gone for good? She isn't sure, so she simply pretends to everyone around, her friends, parents, the maid, that he's still there. Only they've just missed him. Or he's out of town for a conference. Or he isn't feeling well. All the while, XXX deals with her own doubts and questions and hopes, going about her life maintaining a marriage with a man who isn't actually there.

What makes the book so beguiling is not only is the characters so real and human, treated by the author as one treat a dear but slightly loopy friend, but that the story blends effortlessly the feelings of being a mystery, a romance, a chick-lit experiment, and a social satire. It's a unique story line and Solomon doesn't waste it: the book doesn't feel predictable or bound by genre at all. Instead it's a witty, amusing, yet emotionally engaged walk through one woman's marriage and life.