The Suiting

It's an old adage that ``clothes make the man,'' and it would seem to be a stale premise for a story, but first-time novelist Wilde handles the idea with wit and energy. Inhibited office worker Victor Frankl comes into possession of a beautiful suit. Used, but in perfect condition, the expensive outfit had belonged to a now dead gangster named Bouchette. Although too wide in the shoulders and too tight in the waist, the suit makes Frankl feel attractive and powerful, and he begins to work out in a gym to mold his body to the garment's dimensions. As his body fills the suit, Frankl becomes more and more like the brutal Bouchette. And, like Bouchette, Frankl is going down a slippery slope to self-destruction. Though his prose style becomes increasinglysometimes confusinglyelliptical, Wilde is a skilled writer who has produced an engaging novel. (August)