Just Sex

As Law's latest opens, Ellen Markham, a Minnesota housewife who considers Diet Coke her only vice, is having her hands pulled off her philandering husband Tom's neck by an extremely expensive marriage counselor. After the disastrous session, Tom throws down the gauntlet and tells Ellen that she should have an affair to even the score and realize that sometimes a relationship can be just sex. Hyperbolic comedy drives this not-quite romance from veteran Law (One Lonely Night, etc.), as Ellen, with help from best friend Jill, warily embarks on the challenge to meet Mr. Right Now. The madcap plot awkwardly juxtaposes with the complex feelings Ellen faces as her marriage erodes (the couple have two children), and everyone around her, including Ellen's 15-year-old daughter and Jill, harbors debilitating secrets. There's a surprisingly bitter aftertaste to the novel's often sugary sweet setups.