Hot Air

Dermansky’s hilarious latest (after Hurricane Girl) kicks off with a hot air balloon crash in a backyard pool. Joannie, the divorced mom of an eight-year-old daughter, and her architect neighbor, Johnny, have just had their first tentative kiss when the balloon crash-lands in Johnny’s pool. The pair rescues its passengers, who turn out to be a wealthy couple trying to rekindle their romance. Julia Foster, a philanthropist, feels trapped in her stagnant marriage to tech billionaire Jonathan, who still desires her despite his frequent extramarital affairs. In classic Dermansky style, hijinks ensue as everyone agrees to a sleepover at Johnny’s house, where Joannie’s daughter Lucy ends up watching movies in the basement with Johnny’s young son, Tyson. Set during the Covid-19 pandemic and exuberantly told from alternating perspectives, the narrative explores each character’s secrets, betrayals, and desires. The highlight is Dermansky’s slapstick action and dialogue, such as her description of Jonathan and Julia’s crash (“They were screaming, not out of fear, but in anger. They seemed to hate each other. They were all dressed up,” Dermansky writes before one Foster says to the other, “I will kill you, if we don’t die!”). It’s a hoot. Agent: Alex Glass, Glass Literary. (Mar.)