It Had to Be You: The Joan and Ernest Story

In a novel as thin and cool as a disaffected socialite, Malouf (whose No Guarantees was published under her then-married name, Melissa Lentricchia) strings together scenes that are like crisp snapshots of a world in which the surface of things is more important than underlying values. Joan works in the fashion industry. Ernest is a geologist. She was sexually educated by a male prostitute. He has a thing for guns. She was smothered by her mother. He was abandoned by his. She is tormented by memories of rape and abortion. He is flailing through midlife crisis by pursuing a family friend. While scenes at the beginning and the end of the novel frame it with deep and moving poignancy, most of the tale is remarkable for its drop-dead irony punctuated by moments of poetic insight. Exploring metaphysical ground familiar to Joan Didion, Malouf sets up mirages of successful emotional life (represented here by chapter titles using the names of old standard songs such as ""I've Got You Under My Skin,"" ""Me And My Gal"" and the title song) that dissolve before her struggling characters, leaving only emptiness. There is an unappealing flatness to these characters and their lives, but it's made bearable by Malouf's keen observations and fine writing. (Apr.)