The Way We Live Now — Marian Thurm

Thurm's ( Henry in Love ) latest novel, set in contemporary Manhattan, is almost a collage of urban absurdities. In the background any number of odd exchanges take place (``Blame it on the bossa nova,'' a man replies when a stranger criticizes him for dressing his dog in a fleece-lined jean jacket); center stage, however, belongs to the eye-catching menages of a few particular adults: Leora, married to Spike, strikes up a close (and clandestine) friendship with Spike's first wife, Suzanne; Spike is infuriated when he discovers their secret and eventually Leora walks out--and moves into Suzanne's apartment. Leora's father, Alexander, is surprised out of his grief for his late wife by the realization that he loves his black housekeeper, Ionie, who, along with her irresponsible teenage granddaughter's baby, moves in. Spike's mother and Alexander's mother also appear, their presences tender elegies for wasted or misdirected love. Thurm's appetite for eccentricity and her comedienne's ear buoyantly oppose her subject, the blind way we search for love. (Sept.)