In the Kingdom of Air

``Recently I have discovered that I am attractive to women,'' confides BBC weatherman and self-appointed raconteur Giles Doughty in the opening words of this funny, poignant first novel. He then sets out to prove it by recounting his three current affairs: with the head of an employment agency, a children's television star and an unnamed ``Woman from Spain.'' The woman who occupies his mind most, though, is his high school sweetheart Stella Muchmore, who vanished the year he was 16. When Giles's sister spots Stella in a London bar, he's forced to relive the events that led to her disappearance. Much of the text consists of a charming, ongoing conversation between the narrator and his younger self; we soon see that Giles is a much more pathetic character than he would care to admit, but the author treats him with respect and evident affection. Despite the recurrent, rather dull use of four-letter words, Binding's language often makes poetic and delightful swoops. This is a solid, entertaining first effort. (Jan.)