After the publication of such novels as Couples, The Witches of Eastwick and the four Rabbit books, John Updike didn’t need a gimmicky title to attract attention. In fact, he didn’t even need more than one letter. As a nod to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Updike titled his 1988 novel — the third in his Scarlet Letter trilogy — with just one letter. S. follows Sarah Worth as she leaves her husband and suburban life behind to join her guru, a Hindu religious leader known as Arhat, at his Arizona-based ashram. What unfolds is a story of the realities of life on a religious commune and of a woman in search of herself.