When a professional indexer wakes to find his wife has abruptly departed, his meticulously ordered life begins to unravel in a series of absurd and increasingly chaotic events. John, a man defined by his precision and his peculiar career, must navigate the sudden vacuum left by his wife, Janet, while simultaneously battling a persistent, debilitating case of the hiccups. His struggle is framed by the irony of his existence, where his professional success in indexing niche academic texts contrasts sharply with his inability to index or understand the complexities of his own domestic life. The narrative, delivered with a dry, observational wit, tracks his attempts to maintain composure as his professional reputation and personal stability collide.

This novel is characterized by its sharp, observational wit and its ability to find humor in the mundane frustrations of middle-class life. The narrative style suggests a deliberate focus on the absurdity of the protagonist's situation, using his professional obsession with indexing as a metaphor for his desire to control his environment. Readers likely appreciate the balance between the lighthearted, comic elements of the plot and the underlying melancholy regarding the protagonist's isolation. The work stands as a study in how individuals attempt to categorize and manage their lives when the most significant variables are removed without warning.