cover image Atomic Candy

Atomic Candy

Phyllis Burke. Atlantic Monthly Press, $9.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-87113-364-9

Burke's debut ``pops and fizzes, but overdoses on confection,'' wrote PW . ``Breezy, jazzy, joke-packed, this novel, which opens a window on blue-collar Boston Irish, could have been a delight--but, padded with repetition and cliche, trivializes recent history and human experience.'' (June)