Wild Again

Segal's middling effective debut explores the myth that romantic relationships can flourish on sexual gratification alone. Here she creates an improbable duo: self-absorbed jazz pianist Art Glenn and social worker Margo Magill, who find each other in the maelstrom of Manhattan--a discovery that is not altogether beneficial to either party. Though Margo has managed to abandon a vapid career as an actress and assume a less glamorous but challenging job with the city's unfortunates, she has meanwhile married and divorced a lothariook , now dates mediocre men and finally falls into bed with Art, whose power to arouse her cannot compensate for his instability. When the two quarrel at a charity event, Art winds up the evening sharing drugs and attempting sex with Susan/Emma, a mentally disturbed woman whose burst of rage eventually causes the feckless Art to flee. His return sparks tragedy. One wishes that Margo weren't so susceptible, but she is appealing and the reader roots for her happiness. Susan/Emma gains interest as Segal supplies access to this figure's delusions. In its picture of lost souls trying to connect in urban landscapes, Segal's novel has a gritty immediacy that unfortunately is lost in its melodramatic ending. (Feb.)