Imagine Me and You Book

Romantic comedy films tend to stick to a pretty strict formula. And Billy Mernit's infectiously fun novel, Imagine Me & You lays out the components of that formula in the chapter titles: Setup, Cute Meet, Complication, Hook, Swivel, Dark Moment and Resolution. And Mernit follows the formula down to the letter. Well, almost.

In recent years, Hollywood and indie filmmakers have been putting out romantic comedies with a twist. Rather than the typical Happily Ever After (HEA, to you romance fans), characters in films like Waitress or Coffee Date find their own brand of happy endings by finding themselves, rather than finding love. For the ultimate subversion of the formula, one need look no further than Don Roos' 2006 comedy Happy Endings, where each of the characters goes through the motions of the genre with one person and then, at the eleventh hour, each one ends up with someone else entirely. Mernit, a screenwriter and professor of screenwriting, presents a literary version of the modern romantic comedy with a twist.

Jordan, the protagonist (who, as a "teacher-sometimes-writer," shares the author's vocation) is suddenly abandoned by his beloved wife Isabella, who returns to her native Italy to spend time with her family and get some perspective on their marriage. In an effort to make her jealous, he tells Isabella he's seeing Naomi, a fictional French dreamgirl he's modeled after one of his former students. But, in short order, his imaginary mistress begins appearing to him, serving as equal parts companion, critic, advisor and muse. Despite the fact that he knows she's merely a figment of his imagination, he can't seem to shake her, nor does he think he wants to, that is until the real Naomi re-enters his life and Isabella announces her impending return to Los Angeles. I won't reveal the ending, but suffice it to say, it's probably not what one might expect from a typical romantic comedy.

This novel was a great pleasure to read. The writing flows easily and feels very cinematic. It's not surprising that Mernit's first calling is writing scripts. Not only is the dialogue fantastic, but all the characterizations are very detailed and I actually found myself picturing very particular actors in each of the roles. For example, Rachel MacAdams or Elizabeth Banks would be perfect as the spunky, sassy Naomi. And I could actually hear Ian McKellan's booming bass in the voice of Jordan's friend and confidant, Leo.

It's almost unfortunate that the title has already been taken by another film, because I'd look forward to seeing "Imagine Me & You" on the marquee at my local Cineplex - if Hollywood ever saw fit to make it into a movie. In the meantime, it's highly recommended reading.