Walks With Men: Fiction

Ann Beattie arrived in New York young, observant and celebrated (as <i>The New Yorker'</i>s young fiction star) in one of the most compelling and creative eras of recent times. So does the protagonist of her intense new novella, <i>Walks with Men. <br><br></i>It is 1980 in New York City, and Jane, a valedictorian fresh out of Harvard, strikes a deal with Neil, an intoxicating writer twenty years her senior. The two quickly become lovers, living together in a Chelsea brownstone, and Neil reveals the rules for a life well lived: If you take food home from a restaurant, don't say it's because you want leftovers for &quot;the dog.&quot; Say that you want the bones for &quot;a friend who does autopsies.&quot; If you can't stand on your head (which is best) , learn to do cartwheels. Have sex in airplane bathrooms. Wear only raincoats made in England. Neil's certainties, Jane discovers, mask his deceptions. Her true education begins. <br><br>&quot;One of our era's most vital masters of the short form&quot; (<i>The Washington Post</i>) , Beattie brilliantly captures a time, a place and a style of engagement. Her voice is original and iconic.