The Arc: A Novel

Written by Tory Henwood Hoen

Narrated by Mary Elizabeth Kelly

"This debut novel from Hoen, a Brown University graduate who’s worked both in the branding world and as a journalist, treads the usual romance-novel ground in a fresh way. She’s helped by a strong reading from Mary Elizabeth Kelly, equally adept as Ursula, Rafael and the stern Dr. Vidal, who runs The Arc." - The Providence Journal

"Narrator Mary Elizabeth Kelly's range is superb in this thought-provoking rom-com about finding one's soulmate." - AudioFile Magazine

For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sally Rooney, and Rebecca Serle, Tory Henwood Hoen's The Arc is a smart, high concept love story that asks: is it possible to optimize our most intimate relationships?

LOVE, DISRUPTED

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Feb 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250837653

Tory Henwood Hoen

Tory Henwood Hoen is an American-Canadian writer whose work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, Fortune, and others. Previously, she was an editor at New York Magazine, and Creative Director of Brand at women’s workwear startup M.M. LaFleur, where she founded the brand’s digital magazine, The M Dash. The Arc is her debut novel. She is a graduate of Brown University, and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Reviews for The Arc

[Alexandre Bellemare · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Don’t waste your time. The audiobook especially is hard to get through.

[Kierstin Gunsberg · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I understand that a lot of what is happening here is satirical but it just feels removed to me. As a millennial I have trouble identifying with 30-somethings who can afford to sit around wellness clubs talking about horny sharks and bad dates. I guess I’m just not the audience for this book.