Love and Memory

Oleson's first novel is a modern lesbian love story. Soccer-playing computer whiz Liz Edwards turns a dismal summer internship around, gets her boss Glenn Kiley out of a business suit and humanizes her. Initially the scapegoat of ugly office politics and faced with a supervisor who refuses to give her work, Liz fills her time by digging program codes out of the recycling bins. She spots a snarl-up and offers to streamline the firm's quarterly closing. The high point of intrigue nicely pits will-she-won't-she (will Liz solve the computer problem?) against will-they-won't-they (will the pair get it on in bed?) when icy Glenn begins to thaw during late nights with Liz at the office sorting out the snafu in front of scrolling screens. But resolutions and Glenn's reform all happen too quickly, which is a pity, because Oleson is at her best when she keeps us guessing. Some interesting spats between Liz and her roommate Alice on the subtle borders between love and friendship aren't enough to save the last part of the book from fizzling out into a stretch of insecurities and shadows that haunt Liz from previous relationships. Still, of all the characters, Liz is the most rounded; the others are rather one-dimensional. (Oct.)