Boundaries of Love, and Other Stories

The 19 quirky, energetic tales by the author of The Cruz Chronicle affirm that most aspects of love are slightly skewed. Set in Manhattan, they feature a variety of poignant, off-beat relationships. Neurotic mothers veering into psychoses are paired with saint-like men who have become wary, even cunning, as in ``The Dream House.'' A precocious youngster, in ``Beginnings,'' believes he might succeed in stabilizing the delicate balance betwen his anxiety-ridden parents. A once inseparable trio of brilliant overachievers, ``Nate, Elisabeth, and I,'' now float mournfully into their own orbits. Roth views his elderly characters with particular affection, and in his tales enters the psyche of the aging, and rewards them with new relationships and new hope. Several feature a dour, middle-aged professor (the precocious child now grown) who looks back wistfully at his deeply troubled parents; or tries to cope with an increasingly unmanageable academic life and uneasily reaches for a more stable association with a newly married father. Roth's talent is to illuminate bonds that are far from ordinary. (Oct.)