The Interpreter

""Your vows are as solemn as the Hippocratic oath, as sacred as the nun's marriage to Jesus."" Such is the vow of confidentiality taken by Londoner Dominique Green when she embarks on her career as a simultaneous translator. Like the author of this intelligent and lyrical debut, Dominique is fluent in seven languages. While on assignment at a pharmaceutical conference in Manhattan, she accidentally overhears a conversation about a possible breakthrough in HIV treatmentDa breakthrough that the speakers intend to keep to themselves for the time being. Complicating Dominique's ethical dilemma is the fact that one of her closest friends is dying of AIDS, and she wonders if he might benefit from the breakthrough. Meanwhile, she has met and fallen in love with Nicholas Manzini, an Italian doctor conducting pediatric leukemia research for a pharmaceutical company in New York. The reader knowsDas Dominique does notDthat Nicholas is the man behind the HIV discovery and is grappling with his own moral predicament: should he remain with his present company or accept a more lucrative position, a move that would delay his vital research? Character is destiny in this rather somber romance; coincidence, loyalty and ethics are all themes the author juggles deftly, and the climax does come as a surprise. The moody quality throughout is shared by Dominique and Nicholas, who narrate alternating chapters. While a few scenes seem contrived and melodramatic, that's a small cavil. More importantly, Glass has achieved a singular creation in Dominique, a heroine reminiscent of Peter Hoeg's Smilla. After glimpsing the intricacies of the translator's arduous profession, readers will look at the United Nations with new respect. Agent, Jo Frank. (Feb. 1)