Paul O"Rourke - dentist extraordinaire, ambivalent New Yorker, avowed atheist, disaffected Red Sox fan, and connoisseur of the afternoon mochaccino - is a man out of touch with modern life. While his dental practice occupies his days, his nights are filled with regret as he ponders his mistakes with his ex-girlfriend (and receptionist) Connie, and alternately marvels at and rails against the optimism of the rest of humanity. So it goes, until someone begins to impersonate Paul online. He watches in impotent horror as a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account are created in his name to promote a little-known ancient religion. And yet what began as an outrageous violation of privacy soon becomes something far more soul-frightening: the possibility that that virtual "Paul" might be a better version of the man in the flesh... Joshua Ferris"s dazzlingly inventive, brutally comic new novel cuts to the very heart of modern existence: the meaning of life, the certainty of death, and the importance of good oral hygiene.