cover image Younger Than Springtime

Younger Than Springtime

Greg Williams. Dutton Books, $22.95 (304pp) ISBN 978-1-55611-511-0

The familiar details of midlife crisis get a new twist in this funny first novel about a 50-year-old Manhattan corporate lawyer who actually finds the fountain of youth. When hardworking family man John Ashe hires beautiful but inexperienced Elena Confier to be his new legal secretary, he justifies the move as a fatherly impulse. Elena is the daughter of a law school friend, and John actually held her in his arms when she was a baby. In short order, however, John buys a silver Porsche, intensifies his running workouts and, predictably, begins an affair with the young woman. Soon, it's clear that something much more extraordinary is going on. John grows stronger and faster; his hair darkens, his skin tightens. After limping for years on bad heels, he is suddenly running record races and feeling great. He leaves the law firm to become a full-time jock, threatening the relationship with Elena that may be the source of his mysterious ""youthing."" Through Elena, Williams re-examines what makes a man attractive. He tends to belabor the cliched details of John's boomer existence long after it becomes obvious he will jettison all that for his young inamorata. Once John's youthing begins, however, the narrative comes alive with wry insights and unexpected turns that should amuse anyone who has dreamed of turning back the clock. (Apr.)