Those who enjoyed Hungry, Torrey's 1998 collection of stories, will be pleased to discover that she is just as skilled a novelist as a short story writer. Thankfully, the title is not a slangy update of the "he said, she said" genre, nor are the main characters verbally challenged teenagers. Here "he goes, she goes" refers to dance instruction—first the male partner makes his move, or "goes," then the woman follows—although the heroine applies the phrase to her life in general. When Alice's cold, distant father passes away, she is surprised by her sorrow: he always favored her older sister, Gwen, and managed to ruin any fun the two girls initiated. Their English-born mother isn't any help during this somber time. She was once a martyr who repressed her love of dancing, drinking, baking—anything that brought her pleasure—because her husband disapproved. Now that he is dead, she tries to miss him for the sake of her daughters, but finds it difficult to sacrifice her happiness again. Depressed and terribly lonely, Alice drowns her sorrows in alcohol while her 70-year-old mother lives it up. Suddenly, Alice must question everything. Is her writer boyfriend, Jack, too much like her father? As a career temp in New York, can she really hope to make something of herself? For answers, she turns to her first love—dance—and pushes away anyone who would be her partner. Alice's self-deprecating black humor and earnest exploration of her troubled life make her a spunky heroine. Her conflicting feelings about relationships (with others and herself) will resound with readers who have lost a loved one. With surefooted writing and sensitive characterization, Torrey choreographs a graceful, heartfelt drama. (Dec. 11)
