The main thing to know about him is that he lives alone and is depressed. School is fine but not something he jumps out of bed to do. He is divorced but in a romantic relationship with a girl he considers dumping. At the beginning of the novel, a well-meaning colleague recommends a light romantic comedy out on video for him to see. In the middle of the night he wakes for no reason, pops in the tape and discovers that one of the actors looks exactly like him.