THE BOOK OF THE FILM OF THE STORY OF MY LIFE

Fredrick Case, a 42-year-old would-be film producer, wastes his days screening rotten scripts ("thou art passing spunky in those tight's" [sic] reads one particularly egregious bit of dialogue) for a London production company. A charming loafer, he's used to sponging off his parents back home in New Zealand and basking in the attentions of his beautiful wife, the up-and-coming actress Sophie Carlisle. Too bad Mom isn't gonna send money anymore and Sophie's just left him for her dashing co-star, Matt Chalmers. It's time to take control! Which Frederick does with lovable buffoonery, as he plans to pursue Sophie to her rich friend's birthday celebration held on the volcanic island of Makulalanana. He knows from a fan Web site that Sophie is pregnant—and so the plot thickens. But what will the genre of this tale be? Frederick is crossing his fingers for romantic comedy. Amid a celebratory weekend planned by the friendly folks at Ecstatic Experiences Ltd., Frederick, aided by a delightful prostitute and new friend, Melissa, tries to win Sophie back and determine the paternity of her unborn child. Punctuated by excerpts from brilliantly bad screenplays and crackling dialogue, Frederick's comic adventures make a sophisticated light read for the cold heart of winter. Agent, Dan Mandel. (Feb.)