Tomorrow's Path

The novelty in this globe-trotting contemporary romance lies in its attempt to slot modern concerns%E2%80%94diversity, domestic abuse, feminism%E2%80%94into a moral framework that was ossified before most of the book's potential readers were born. Jessica Lord is a 27-year-old virgin who works with computers and writes fantasy novels on her own time. Her parents berate her for being unmarried and living away from home. Upon winning a writing contest, she encounters Jivan Childering, a successful author and the illegitimate half-Indian son of a wealthy socialite. Virginity and illegitimacy are the protagonists' major characteristics; aside from basic demographics, little more background is given. Jessica appeals to Jivan because of her wide-eyed excitement about success. Despite Jivan's arrogance, Jessica can't resist his smoldering looks., and anyway, his attitude is the fault of that bed-hopping woman he divorced, who is now stalking him by subscribing him to porn magazines. There are tours of Australia's charms and many of the romance genre's major themes, but these are rendered as flat as the outdated prurience. (Feb.)