Clairvoyant

Professional clairvoyant Victor Mackenzie has had ""the gift"" since he was eight, when the ghost of Murray Weinbaum, owner of the local candy store, appeared in his bedroom. Through the years, this guardian angel has brought Victor messages and advice from The Other Side (including from his parents, who think it's still not too late for their 40-ish son to attend medical school). Victor's life changes after he tells the future of Katha Randall, a painter who lives unhappily with her lover, Parker (a man so obsessive he bleaches the soles of his shoes each evening), and her daughter, Julia, a precocious eight-year-old who is writing a script about lesbians intended for Seinfeld. Victor predicts trouble for Katha and Parker, which is confirmed when Katha learns from a friend that Parker has been answering personal ads. The clairvoyant steps in, and although you don't need a tarot deck to guess the inevitable romance between Katha and Victor, Thurm's (Henry In Love) narrative is by turns magical and poignant. She has created a wise, funny novel about seeing others better than we see ourselves. The first two thirds are especially convincing. Despite Thurm's keen eye for detail and ear for dialogue, the book begins near the end to feel like a short story that got out of hand. Victor's visions become cartoonish (especially when he flashes, unconvincingly, on life-and-death matters). Flaws notwithstanding, there's enough charm in this crystal ball for anyone, even those stuck in the present-tense. (June)