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Not Putting an X on Your Ex

For couples who break up, keeping in touch with their ex is a very painful and difficult thing to do, most of the time. There are situations, however, that allow for separated couples to remain friends after the break up. A new, highly-praised novel reveals the path some take to keep their ex in their lives - no matter what.

In Robert J. Hughes`s novel, `Late and Soon`, several characters insist on trying to stay close to the people they`re no longer married to or partnered with - they feel it`s better for them psychologically and emotionally to be in touch. The resulting story is an examination of how to make peace and move on in an all-too-common situation.

Through the novel, each of the characters we encounter comes to a point when he or she makes a leap into the unknown, with the prospect of friendship or the possibility of love. The novel is set in the hubbub of a New York social and cultural scene, moving from museums to the opera to the dramatic floor of an auction house where millions of dollars change hands in seconds. Yet throughout, we are introduced to remarkable characters whose depth of feeling helps illuminate our own feelings about friendship, love, art and life.