Product Description

IF ONLY IT WERE TRUE
A couple unlike any other
A situation they can't believe
A love story impossible to forget
A young San Francisco architect returns to his apartment after an exhausting day. Relaxing in the bath, Arthur hears fingers snapping in time to the music on his radio. He traces the noise to a closet, where, to his surprise, he finds an attractive young woman. Thinking she's part of a practical joke, he asks her to leave. But Lauren, stunned to discover that Arthur can see and hear her reveals the extraordinary truth. Six months before, she was in a car crash; her body now lies in a hospital bed, in a coma. Initially sceptical, Lauren finally proves to Arthur that what she has said is true. But when the doctors decide to turn off the machines keeping Lauren alive, Arthur must find a way to save her. For it is only her love that can save him ...
In turn heartbreaking and hilarious, Arthur and Lauren are a couple unlike any other. In an unforgettable novel impossible to resist. Fall in love - again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #209443 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Steven Spielberg has bought the film rights to Marc Levy's debut novel, If Only It Were True. He was so enthusiastic about the idea for the story that he handed over the cash ($2 million) before seeing the manuscript. And it is a great story. A young architect, Arthur, moves into his apartment and finds a girl in his closet. But Lauren Kline isn't an ordinary girl. She has been in a coma for six months after crashing her open top Triumph--her "heart is beating in one place" but her "spirit is alive somewhere else." And that somewhere else is with Arthur; he's the only one who can see, hear and touch her.

The book is unashamedly romantic, the couple fall in love, stroll through San Francisco, smooch on the sea shore and contemplate the true meaning of life and love. It's all about: "Recognising happiness when it's lying at your feet, having the will and the courage to reach down and take it in your arms, and to hold on to it." But Lauren's life support machine is about to be turned off and Arthur must save his invisible girl because "each second with you is worth more than any other second."

The dialogue is intense, soul bearing and perhaps slightly naive. This is a compelling story and the novel's tone allows for endless speculation about the style of the eventual film. It would make a fine screwball comedy, or a medical drama--ER goes Oprah. Spielberg could exploit the living dead angle: a zombie rom.com, a sort of Re-animating Baby. Perhaps it will star Meg Ryan and be wistful and wide-eyed. And surely there's only one possibility for the soundtrack: The Smiths' "Girlfriend in a Coma"? --James Barry

The Guardian
'The latest international publishing sensation.'

About the Author
Marc Levy runs an architectural firm and divides his time between America and France.