BACKWARD IN HIGH HEELS

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 2 OCT 2006

The middle-aged woman's postdivorce rebirth plot is given a rejuvenating jolt by Kelman (Every Step You Take) in this uplifting bathtub read. Maggie Strickland's emotions shift from shock to grief to rage when she discovers her husband, Harold, an ethics professor, survived an office fire because he was not at work but instead was canoodling with a graduate student. Divorce proceedings soon follow, and though Maggie's children are sympathetic to her plight, they are too busy with their own lives to offer much support. But a chance encounter with Anthony "Wop" Sinclair, a grade-school classmate with an unfortunate nickname who has transformed into a megasuccessful entrepreneur, provides Maggie with welcome distraction. Anthony's marriage, too, is in trouble, and his interest and attraction flatter Maggie as Harold mounts an aggressive campaign to settle the divorce quickly. Just before the divorce becomes final, Maggie learns the reason behind Harold's urgency. The brisk pace, witty narrative and likable if exaggerated characters keep the reader turning pages until the expected happy ending.