Being Someone

Ellen Harmon, a fourth grade teacher, instantly falls in love with Janey Kowalski upon her arrival in Bowles, a small New England town. Spurred by the newfound feelings of love and security she experiences after moving in with Janey, Ellen gives her students a ``family lesson''--a talk about nontraditional families--and reveals her homosexuality. The reserved Janey is angry, and in the wake of public scandal and the consequent loss of her job, Ellen sets off for San Francisco. Missing Ellen terribly, Janey joins her in California. But Ellen has become deeply immersed in computers, and when she becomes involved in a dramatic new project that might have military applications, Janey--who in turn has become more political--is alarmed. Their relationship becomes strained as Ellen's obsession with success threatens to override her humane, feminist principles. MacLeod has created very believable characters, but it is evident that she is interested in more than the insular sphere of relationships as she delves into her protagonists' concern for and impact on the larger world. This fast-paced first novel is a good read for feminists and other thinking people. (Nov.)