Karl is in the midst of a mid-life crisis in a less than perfect life. He has been masquerading as a writer based on an early successful novel, now long forgotten. The last few years have been spent trying to eke out a living ghost-writing crime novels and teaching creative writing, but his publisher won’t return his calls and he can no longer stomach his student’s successes. Karl hasn’t divulged his impending ruin to his wife, Lori, nor has he admitted to refinancing their apartment in order to pay for his elderly mother’s care home. Their apathetic marriage is being put to the test by Lori’s desire to have a child.

Midnight in a Perfect Life is a compelling portrait of a desperate man with a shocking secret. There are moments of David Lynch-inspired surrealism involving transvestites and virtual realms, but the novel’s strength lies in its devastating portrait of familial and romantic relationships.