Trompe-l'Oeil

'Trompe-l'oeil' literally means 'deceiving the eye'. Adoptive New Yorker, Daneka S rensen, appears to be a woman any man might want: attractive, imaginative, charming, wealthy and successful in almost every aspect of her life. It's no wonder that fashion photographer Kit Addison falls madly in love with her. After their third chance meeting, they hesitantly find each other, then impulsively run off together to tour the most romantic parts of Europe and of each other. And, to the delight of each, everything about the other is absolutely perfect-everything, that is, except one thing. But that one thing is a hell of a kicker. Trompe-l'oeil has been described as "the roller coaster of a lifetime" by one reviewer. It is. At the same time, it's a wrestling match between Thanatos and Eros-the outcome of which isn't revealed until the final chapter. That outcome is an epiphany to Kit, an epitaph to Daneka. Sic transit gloria mundi. At the end of the day, it's just another love story: a little something in the vein of Romeo and Juliet; Tristan and Isolde; Orpheus and Eurydice; H lo se and Ab lard; Pyramus and Thisbe. The difference? This one's very 21st century, considerably more explicit, and she's the older-though not necessarily the wiser-of the two.