Billy and Francis couldn’t be more different, at least when it comes to age and disposition, but that doesn’t prevent them from falling in love and settling into the easy rhythms of romance - phone calls every morning, rendezvous every weekday afternoon, the odd out-of-town escape - despite both still being very partial to their spouses. In interconnected stories, Laurie Colwin deftly reveals each character’s point of view and examines, in razor-sharp detail, the ‘marvellous’ and messy glory of modern love and the curious desires of the heart.

This whirlwind romance, perfectly captured in Colwinesque frank and funny style, is firm proof that opposites really do attract.