Lech

Lippmann takes a vivid look at the Catskills in her charming debut novel (after the collection Jerks). The paths of several lonely characters intertwine in rural Sullivan County in summer 2014. Noreen, a real estate agent, grew up there, and reflects on her Borscht Belt glory days, when her parents worked at a series of long-gone hotels. There's also Beth, who is holed up in a rental while emotionally recovering from an abortion; Noreen's 19-year-old daughter, Paige; and a 60-something local divorcé named Ira "Lech" Lecher. The characters seek comfort in different ways. Beth strikes up an affair with Lech, who occasionally sleeps with Noreen, while Paige dreams of leaving for Florida. The various threads sometimes feel scattered, and there's not much of a plot, but Lippmann has a knack for punchy dialogue (when Beth says her car is "bigger than a Smart car," Lech responds, "Can it do my taxes?"), and maintains a steady stream of commentary on the flailing region and the characters' mixed feelings about outsiders (while Noreen would welcome gentrification, Paige scorns the "invad" tourists: "plastic shells humping roofs like suspicious growths"). Lippmann's amiable writing makes for great company. Agent: Jenni Ferrari-Adler, Union Literary. (Oct.)

A motley crew of neighbors gets through the summer of 2014 in Sullivan County, New York. Lippmann's first novel after two story collections features an ensemble cast of characters ranging from vintage quirky to seriously damaged, all with complicated backstories and interlocking current problems. The eponymous Lech is Ira Lecher, a 66-year-old divorcé who lives up to his name. He rents out a room to visitors in his house on Murmur Lake, aka Murder Lake due to a drowning years back. Lech's current guests are a young woman named Beth and her precocious, allergy-ridden, almost-5-year-old son, Zach. Beth is fleeing New York City and her irritating husband after an abortion: "Two days have passed since the D & C about which she's told no one. (The procedure sounded like a mall shop for tweens. I love your top. Did you get that at D & C?)" Lippmann's rapid-fire narrative style seems to pay homage to Borscht Belt schtick, but here and elsewhere it can be hard to know what emotion is expected from the reader concerning disturbing sexual situations and unhappy characters. Tzvi, for example, is a Hasidic Jew and a drug dealer--"He is servicing a need. Better him than a shegetz [non-Jewish boy]." Bada bing. But Tzvi is also the son of the woman who drowned--he was only 3 years old at the time--and is still haunted by the mysteries of that loss. If it sounds like there's a lot to try to make sense of in this novel, there is, including what is arguably the main plotline, which is about a grifter-y real estate agent trying to interest investors in the property surrounding Murmur Lake, which neither Lech nor the creepy farmer who owns the adjoining parcel wants to sell. This storyline and others unfold in brief chapters alternating among the points of view of five of the characters. For the right reader, this jigsaw puzzle of a novel will be a pleasure. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.