Andy Simpson has a problem.

The problem is that he accidentally knocked over a beautiful woman on a Chicago sidewalk one morning, instantly fell in love, but she left before he could get her name. The problem is that he keeps randomly running into the mysterious woman all over town without getting a chance to talk to her. The problem is that the more he does get to know her, the more mysterious she becomes.

And just how does Jane, his best friend and accidental sexual partner, fit into all of this?

F1 is the delightful new romantic comedy from Jason Pettus, author of the sleeper hit Dreaming of Laura Ingalls. It deals with the concepts of "fated" love versus "day-to-day;" the power and importance of art patrons; and the renewed spiritual crisis that many people go through as they turn thirty. Written through the eyes of Andy Simpson, a 29-year-old editor at the Journal of the American Dental Association and friend of the Chicago art community, this light tale of "love in hiding" is meant to resemble the sparse, poetic style of Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto. It's hoped that you will enjoy this book, but be forewarned -- a couple of pages after starting, you might be so engrossed that you'll be knocking people over on the sidewalk yourself.

Read an excerpt:

Opening scene of the book

Andy and Jane sleep with each other for the first time

Karen explains a few things

Copyright 1998, Jason Pettus. All rights reserved.