Summary:Charlie Asher, a neurotic and anxious hypochondriac, an unfortunate San Francisco thrift shop owner, who hates change, confronts the challenges of being a widower and a single parent when his wife dies of a freak medical condition on the day his new daughter, Sophie, is born.

 In spite of the subject matter, this is considered a humorous novel. Moore writes strange comedic novels that have nothing to do with reality, though he does make his wierd worlds come to life.