If you've read Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth, it seems obvious that this is Sheryl Crow's version of what the character "The Monkey" (Portnoy's lover) would have written about those 3 days in Rome (which is the amount of time that they spend there in the book and where she is treated as indicated in the lyrics). Even more telling is the title of the song, "The Book". I've always wanted to find some fan site where I could ask if this was indeed what the song was about. If not, it's a hell of a coincidence.
If you've read Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth, it seems obvious that this is Sheryl Crow's version of what the character "The Monkey" (Portnoy's lover) would have written about those 3 days in Rome (which is the amount of time that they spend there in the book and where she is treated as indicated in the lyrics). Even more telling is the title of the song, "The Book". I've always wanted to find some fan site where I could ask if this was indeed what the song was about. If not, it's a hell of a coincidence.