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Mark Ingersol is a stockbroker in Manhattan during the early nineties. He is married with a young son who has a terminal heart condition. Lauren is beautiful, intelligent, and also a stockbroker. He is consumed with her the minute they meet. Their relationship is intense both physically and mentally. In fact, they are so bonded they can communicate telepathically. However, their excessive drinking catches up to them, and their romance ends abruptly.
Mark shares his deepest thoughts and feelings in his diary, and this provides a personal account of his frenetic swinging from self-flagellation to small glimmers of hope for a return to his previous life. He wrestles with depression, extreme anxiety, and fragile sobriety. All of this causes him to question the meaning of life, spiritual ideologies, and sense of self. Life's boundaries are limited for Mark. His physical world consists of his apartment building, local bar, and office. Mark's life continues to spiral, especially when Lauren begins dating another man. He begins to believe there is no hope until the unthinkable happens. It changes everything.
Occasional punctuation and formatting mistakes distract from the flow of the story. However, Fitch writes with a vivid intensity that brings landscapes to life. He examines the wide scope of characters with organic, piercing honesty, demonstrating their brokenness and resilience. Readers are privy to Mark's powerful yet sometimes bizarre dreams and intimate deliberations. Fitch employs vibrant, familiar vernacular, even if some antiquated terms may come across as derogatory to some. The author skillfully narrates the inner turmoil of anxiety and depression in its tedious, unglamorous reality. His portrayal of the characters' grappling with their inner worlds engrosses the audience.