Goldman's Anatomy

Savan follows up White Palace , a novel about an unlikely couple, with this high-voltage tale about an unquiet triangle. Narrator Arnie Goldman, a dealer in rare gems and minerals, finds that business success doesn't ease his bitterness at being crippled by chronic rheumatoid arthritis. Redso Wolff, Arnie's best friend since high school, is brilliant, handsome and charismatic, but he's just thrown away a scholarship to study theater at Carnegie-Mellon. Redso's lover, Billy Rubin, may seem independent, but she is emotionally enthralled by her overbearing and bigoted father, an orthodox rabbi. As the novel opens, Redso and Billy show up at Arnie's house in St. Louis, where Redso's behavior becomes increasingly and dangerously bizarre. Arnie and Billy diagnose Redso as manic-depressive; predictably enough, Arnie and Billy are brought closer together, become lovers and eventually marry. Savan's brisk pacing allows for energetic dialogue if less than full-blooded characterizations. If Billy--gorgeous, talented, compassionate (and a good cook)--is a bit too good to be true, Redso's manic behavior is perhaps rendered with too much fidelity, obscuring his appeal for the reader. On the other hand, Savan surprises with an unexpected, hard-won and thoroughly believable conclusion. Major ad/promo; author tour. (May)