The Listener

Basch (The Passion of Reverend Nash) has produced a compassionate narrative exploring the sexual identities of the young and not-so-young through her cast of well-drawn, quirky characters. Psychologist Malcolm Dowd provides counseling for the students of Baxter College in Maine while he runs a private practice with his colleague, Dr. Gordon Stadler. One of Malcolm's patients is Noah, an18-year-old acting student and transvestite who shows up at their sessions in drag and uses the name Leah%E2%80%94the same name as one of Malcolm's daughters, who's also a college student. Malcolm's children have left the nest, leaving him, a widower of 14 years, restless and ready to move on with his life. He kindles an edgy romance with Carmen "Cara" Shipley, a classical guitarist who also teaches music at Baxter. While the beleaguered Malcolm deals with the fallout from Gordon's latest affair, he must also contend with revealing a secret about his wife to his daughters, which will also have implications for his current relationship with Cara. As the plot moves toward its conclusion, Basch unites her characters in surprising and satisfying ways, making this novel really come alive. (Mar.)