SLEEPING WITH SCHUBERT, by Bonnie Marson, Random House, 380 pages, $25.95.

A marvelous first novel is rare. But artist Bonnie Marson has revealed her literary talents in spades with "Sleeping with Schubert," a delightful, funny, thoughtful, historical and well-written book.

The odd premise is that Liza Durbin, a young, attractive Brooklyn tax attorney, is leading a comfortable but boring life. But everything changes one day in the shoe department of Nordstrom, where Liza is Christmas shopping.

Annoyed by the store pianist's holiday drivel, she waits for him to take a break, then lunges for the piano. For several minutes, she brilliantly plays some of the works of Schubert, with all the verve of a concert pianist.

Everyone is in shock — including Liza, who took some piano lessons as a young girl but was never aware that she had any musical gifts.

It takes awhile for Liza to figure out that the spirit of the 19th century Austrian composer Franz Schubert has inhabited her body. When she plays, it is really Schubert pulling the strings.

Initially awestruck, she soon begins longing for her own identity. Will she have to give up the law and become a concert pianist? How long will Schubert stay? How can she possibly lead a normal life while being inhabited by a man, in particular a man as famous as Schubert?

These are not easy questions to answer, so Liza stumbles for a while. She becomes transformed into a genius, who is so obsessed with her work that the little things of life elude her. She appears at the law office in bedroom slippers with her hair a shambles. Finally, she takes leave of her law duties and starts practicing the piano, honing her craft. She even attends Juilliard, partly so she can talk like a musician, but also to prepare her to perform at Carnegie Hall.

The hook upon which Marson hangs her plot is the fact that Schubert wrote "The Unfinished Symphony," suggesting that he had to return to finish it once and for all. As a result, Liza not only plays the piano, she occasionally composes music, a thoroughly enervating experience, both mentally and physically, after which she can remember no details.

Liza even has consistent dreams that reflect various episodes of Schubert's short life.

In the meantime, her friends and family adjust to her predicament in various ways. Her mother says she always knew Liza had exceptional talent; her sister, Cassie, becomes obsessed with promotional efforts, which she fails to discuss with Liza (at one point she creates a sexy image of a female pianist she thinks will sell tickets); Mikki, her therapist, is completely flummoxed by the problem and re-invents herself as an expert on spirits inhabiting the bodies of the living (she even writes a book and becomes a regular guest on TV talk shows).

Liza's boyfriend, Patrick, has an especially difficult time accepting all of this. He is troubled that he is in love with a woman who is inhabited by a man.

Although the author cultivates a light touch, she uses her knowledge of classical music to make Schubert interesting to a whole new generation. In fact, a CD by Sony Classical, intended as a companion piece to the book, contains enough of Schubert's music to educate many readers.

This book is a keeper.

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