One of These Mornings

Its title taken from the Gershwin lyric from Porgy and Bess, Bernard's meandering debut novel uses music as a recurring metaphor in the story of two idealistic young hippies. Threaded with song lyrics by the Doors, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, the nostalgic tale follows New Yorker Melanie, newly entranced by struggling young musician Ray, as they hitchhike cross-country to his home town of Berkeley. The two plan to write poetry and music, living freely and spreading peace, love and happiness. The bubble breaks quickly as they struggle to make ends meet, while Ray continues his compulsive womanizing. Pregnant Melanie is overwhelmed by Ray's drugged-out, irresponsible friends who constantly need a place to stay. Though not types to value ""a piece of paper,"" Melanie and Ray decide to marry before their baby is born. As a new mother, Melanie is isolated, angry and unable to write poetry, and she falls into postpartum depression. This sharp turn in the plot gives na ve Melanie more dimension; she spends months in hospital therapy, drudging up memories of a mentally ill mother and a drunken father. Bernard belabors these scenes, which are unevenly paced and lack strong dialogue. Still unsettled and unhappy, Melanie finally returns home to Ray, who has switched roles from rogue musician to hardworking mechanic. Trying to patch up their relationship, each of them realizes that real life is much more difficult and complex than their dreamed-of bohemianism. Bernard's characters are ordinary people beset with drab dailiness. Their hazy, 1970s California is a time and place that is not defined by idealized flower-power, but by fragile, even compensatory peace and by an inconclusive, imperfect kind of love. (Nov.)