Love is not free. The price is 99 cents.

"And Xavier Dekker long realized that this is the problem: love has nothing to do with the heart. The heart is schizophrenic. The heart is paranoid. The heart is not only corrupt, but corrupting. The heart is an all-round hot, sweaty, quivering mess. The heart is the problem and uCupid removes this from the equation."

Rudolf Kerkhoven's latest novel, "Love is not free. The price is 99 cents." is a darkly comedic romantic-drama. Mathematically brilliant but socially anxious Xavier Dekker has developed uCupid, a 99-cent phone application that purports to flawlessly match people with an ideal mate anywhere around the globe. Xavier's estranged younger brother, David, is a new father and downloads uCupid as a lark, not because he's unhappy with his marriage. But unbeknownst to him, his wife has done the exact same thing. And soon everyone will soon download uCupid. And soon everyone will be madly in love. So, then, what is the problem? How can so much love cause displeasure? And just what is Xavier keeping secret about this 99.97% flawless app?

The writing of Kerkhoven's latest novel is stilted and yet fluid. The tone is surreal and yet realistic. The mood is gentle and yet jarring.