Norman Malamud

Franny Norman Malamud

In Malamud's new novel, Franny faces the biggest challenge of her life: simultaneously loving two men. The zany, engaging character first introduced in Three on a Couch has married the love of her life, Detective Nicholas Pagliara. Their idyllic life suddenly shatters when Nick, shot in a drug bust, drifts into a coma. Franny finds herself alone and pregnant, and her life begins to fall apart. She realizes that Nick may not come out of the coma-and if he does, he might never be the same. Her worst fears are realized when Nick wakes up and inexplicably vanishes from his hospital room. Franny throws herself into her work and develops her skills to become a successful designer in the garment industry, where she meets Matt, also a designer. Business throws them together, but Franny succumbs to temptation and leans on his strength in her time of need. Confused, she wonders: What if Nick comes back? Will he still love her? Should she keep the baby? In a parallel story, Nick, conscious but suffering from amnesia, falls in love with a wealthy woman. After plenty of betrayal, possessiveness and bedlam, Malamud's masterful plot brings the two stories together.