Compelling characters dissipate quickly in Klomparens's uneven second novel (after Jessica Z.
). In a San Diego facing its second year of drought, weatherman Andy Dunne feels increasingly irrelevant: his satellite radio gig is no great shakes, he's out of shape, his wife left him and he's still hurting from the death of his twin brother. He's sustained mostly by a low-grade flirtation with Hillary Hsing, who urges Andy to audition for work on a children's television show. Soon, he's promoted to host, the show takes off, and Andy is losing weight, making money and finding new confidence. Unfortunately, as soon as Andy becomes a TV star, his problems vanish like morning fog, leaving Klomparens to toy with Andy and Hillary's relationship and to introduce a flurry of new characters—a brother-in-law with post-traumatic stress, a niece with growing pains of a very contemporary variety. In the final third, the action decamps to Hong Kong, where a raging typhoon briefly distracts from the lack of narrative tension. Klomparens is frequently a funny and stylish writer, but the low pressure conflicts and patchy plotting make the outlook hazy. (July)
