Status Updates From The Man Who Was Late

"His success would be solid, not brilliant---another well-done job, nothing more. How could he be expected to solve the puzzle of his own feelings about living with Veronique---marrying her, no less!---to reassure her, and to give her, from six thousand miles away, counsel on how to deal with her barbarian husband, when all his attention and feelings, yes, feelings, were concentrated on what he must do tomorrow?"

I quit. This is dreadful.

I think this is the last book I could find on my shelves whose title began with "The Man..." and... I don't have high hopes. I think I got it in a free bag of books at the end of a library sale, & then couldn't sell it in a year at my 2nd-hand store. But I'll give it a try.