"There is nothing I love like decrepitude in a man." With that cheeky declaration, Lemann (The Fiery Pantheon) sums up the one-note plot of her latest novel, which tracks a fortyish woman's urge to have an affair with a geriatric business and entertainment tycoon. Fleming Ford is the sometimes outrageous narrator, a former belle from Alabama who finds herself pregnant and stranded in Southern California as her husband, the endearingly oafish Mac MacMoreland, works on a project to discover underground water that can be piped to Mexico for an enormous profit. Fleming has little interest in her husband's efforts and she seems mildly terrorized by the prospect of caring for her two toddler daughters, so she turns her attention to Mr. Lieberman, the reserved widower who once signed her paychecks when she worked for his New York newspaper. A chance encounter in New York fuels the attraction, and Fleming is startled when Lieberman follows up on the West Coast, proposing that Fleming make the journey from the rather depressing tourist town of Esperanza, where she lives, to visit him for lunch in Los Angeles. Their common Southern heritage generates a quaint attraction despite the age difference, but Lemann has precious little plot to offer beyond the affair, and while some of her cynical observations on SoCal culture are entertaining, many seem tired and familiar. Fleming is a wry, engaging protagonist, but she's not quite enough to make this novel a winner. (June)
Forecast:Lemann's novel is based on a weeklong online diary she wrote for Slate.com about her life in San Diego. Readers who frequent the site may recognize her name, but it seems unlikely that many will want to pick up the book version of something that worked better in its original format.
