Going Too Far

This compact, atmospheric novel captures the mordant air of three friends who reminisce during a reunion at a Mediterranean villa. The three--Bettina, the rich, elegant hostess; Delia, coarse, tiresomely foulmouthed, a committed Marxist; and Johnny, a self-professed beachcomber, homosexual, inclined to be vengeful--share a South African heritage which has strongly affected each in markedly different ways. Bettina is calm, ever-gracious as rivalrous Delia and Johnny bicker about their antipodal political philosophies. Amid exquisitely arranged lunches and lavish servings of champagne, Delia gives into her alcoholism, in part goaded by Johnny, before we learn of Bettina's impending death from cancer. The tension of contemporary lives is exposed, examined with a multitude of classical references, but undiagnosed. The author ( Breaking the Rules ) has lived in South Africa. (Sept.)