Peckham's Marbles

The latest lark by the master manipulator of absurdities zips off with the first sentence: "" `The last place to have a ball, my dear Mrs. DelBelly, is at a formal dance.' '' Capitalizing on his unequaled eye and ear for paradoxes, De Vries chronicles the adventures of Earl Peckham, an intellectual author whose new book sells only three copies. Earl tries to woo rich Mrs. DelBelly, opting for security rather than literary success, but his arty repartee makes the lady think he has lost his marbles. Hearing that signed novels can't be returned, Earl abandons the wooing and travels to the Midwest to autograph his three books. He meets Poppy McCloud, whose piffling romances are bestsellers, and the extremely odd couple fall in love. Throwing their joint publisher into fears of bankruptcy, Earl vets Poppy's works-in-progress, and her newly refined stories gain critical plaudits while losing a million-dollar audience. Throughout this novel, De Vries advances from one lovely lunacy to the next, keeping the reader marveling at his linguistic genius. (October 9)