The Arc
A Novel
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"A thoroughly modern love story with an old-fashioned heart."
––Vogue
"Sure to satisfy fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Sally Rooney."
––E! Online
"Funny and modern, The Arc is like a rom-com’s cooler big sister."
––Real Simple
Can you curate your soulmate? Thirty-five-year-old Ursula Byrne, VP of Strategic Audacity at a branding agency in Manhattan, is successful, witty, whip-smart, and single. She’s tried all the dating apps, and let’s just say: she’s underwhelmed by her options. You’d think that by now someone would have come up with something more bespoke; a way for users to be more tailored about who and what they want in a life partner––how hard could that be?
Enter The Arc: a highly secretive, super-sophisticated matchmaking service that uses a complex series of emotional, psychological and physiological assessments to architect partnerships that will go the distance. The price tag is high, the promise ambitious––a level of lifelong compatibility that would otherwise be unattainable. In other words, The Arc will find your ideal mate.
Ursula is paired with forty-two-year-old lawyer Rafael Banks. From moment one, this feels like the electric, lasting love they’ve each been seeking their whole adult lives. But as their relationship unfolds in unanticipated ways, the two begin to realize that true love is never a sure thing. And the arc of a relationship is never predictable...even when it's fully optimized.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hoen's introspective debut asks readers to question their idea of a "perfect" relationship. Ursula Byrne is ready to throw in the towel after her most recent in a string of dating disasters—until a stranger overhears her spouting her woes to her best friend and hands Ursula a business card for the Arc, an enigmatic matchmaking service. Though its procedures are highly secretive, it promises to match clients with "the person—the particular person—with whom you'll have the greatest chance at lifelong happiness" following a weeklong evaluation. It comes with a hefty fee ($40,500 for women; $50,000 for men—adjusted for the gender pay gap), but Ursula decides to take a chance. After a week of meditation, questionnaires, and near-constant observation, she's paired with Rafael Banks and they set up their first date. They're immediately drawn to each other, and the first months of their relationship fly by in bliss. But when their first minor disagreement reveals a potential flaw in the Arc's calculations, the couple is faced with the harsher realities of love. The long wait for the romance to start makes this unusual genre fare, but Hoen raises some fascinating questions about love and relationships and ends on an optimistic note that will please romance fans. The result is as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking.
