Eddie and Bella

Readers should be forgiven their understandable confusion at the title of Wilson's (Loose Jam) first novel in 10 years, given that the flirtatious, ponytailed, poet/food-service worker they come to know as Raphael does not reveal himself as the eponymous Eddie until well into the narrative. ApparentlyDand tellinglyDRaphael is Eddie's ""spiritual name. One I chose for myself."" In a '70s version of the meet-cute, Eddie and Bella meet obnoxious at a party in California in 1978. The two embark on a tempestuous live-in relationship, but before long Bella's baggageDwhich comes in the form of a husband, two kids and a heavy-duty substance-abuse problemDbecomes too much for Eddie, so he hits the road and tells people that Bella is dead. Meanwhile, BellaDjust as the reader is beginning to suspect that hers is a life best not examinedDhas an epiphany and heads east to reinvent herself. Can these two change their spots? And what will happen when they meet again, many years later? Most of the time, it's simply too hard to tell if Wilson is serious or pseudo-serious about his material, amid his flights of verbal fancy. The principals in this Peter Pan story of squandered chances are selfish and immature, and their story has a tumbleweed quality to it, with Bella and Eddie picking up other characters as they roll along. By the end, the couple may have logged a lot of miles, but they haven't really gone anywhere. Veterans of the Me generation will certainly recognize Bella and EddieDand they might be drawn to the whimsical image of bare feet on the novel's jacketDbut it's unlikely they'll choose to identify with Wilson's blowsy ex-flower children. Agent, Faith Childs. New England author tour. (Jan. 19)