Baby Teeth

The tragic events of the summer of 1963 are recalled here by 11-year-old Allie Gardiner, who describes the disintegration of her wealthy family with studied nonchalance. Dad is a lawyer, a sportsman, a hunter and an alcoholic. Mom, who comes from a family of influence and tradition, is willful, capricious and drifts into an affair with Bruce, the young man who had contracted to build their patio the summer before. Allie enters into a conspiracy with her mother, keeping her unwitting father at bay and creating an elaborate charade to fool the inquisitive neighbors, ploys that no longer work when her mother and Bruce become increasingly careless. Her father's knowledge of his wife's affair and of Allie's complicity leads him into even heavier bouts of drinking and into murderous rages. Allie, edging warily into the adult world, is powerless to prevent the coming tragedies. Holbrooke, author of the nonfiction Gossip, has created a sensitive young witness who gives unique perspective to sharply etched events. (August 3)