When They Took Away the Man in the Moon

Lehrer ( Best Intentions ) explores the nebulousness of fulfillment in this affecting, realistic portrait of a woman who almost--but never entirely--feels she has it all. Twice-divorced H.A. (for Hope Annabella) Reese, 45, is a highly respected political consultant in Boston. Beneath her polished appearance, however, she feels uneasy about the Senate candidate she currently represents, a real-estate investor whose dealings have harmed the environment. Beset by doubt, she flees to her childhood home in Rollins, Tex., only to find her mother laid low by a stroke and the man who was her first love also ailing. Such distressing setbacks only make H.A. more determined to personally set things right; it's clear that she has appropriated the protective role of her father, who became the distant and idealized ``man in the moon'' after his death when H.A. was six years old. Lehrer convincingly shows how multiple dilemmas force the protagonist to reconsider her lifelong discontent and evasion of others' love. This moving tale of regret and compromise values a sense of family over lonely career advancement, yet thankfully avoids positing marriage and children as a strong woman's only reprieve from alienation. (June)