They meet regularly for sex and talk, in his studio

At first the novel seems like a peep-show into an adulterous affair. She is severely conflicted about everything and is contemplating divorce. He is suffering the alienation of an American in England. This talk is the subject matter of the book. Occasionally, they stray into other pet Roth subjects like fathers, mothers, misogyny, his work, and the Jews.

But then the talk shifts to other female voices: a jet-setting Czech prostitute who wants Roth to help her write a novel; a 33-year old Polish woman with a child who also wants him to help her write; an English woman from his past in New York who is suffering from cancer; his wife who accidentally discovers his notebook with all these “conversations.” Roth defends his notebook, saying that all the women recorded within are fictional characters. (suite…)