REVIEW: MS. DEMEANOR, BY ELINOR LIPMAN

Jane Morgan is a valued member of her law firm—or was, until a prudish neighbor, binoculars poised, observes her having sex on the roof of her NYC apartment building. Police are summoned, and a punishing judge sentences her to six months of home confinement. With Jane now jobless and rootless, trapped at home, life looks bleak. Yes, her twin sister provides support and advice, but mostly of the unwelcome kind. When a doorman lets slip that Jane isn’t the only resident wearing an ankle monitor, she strikes up a friendship with fellow white-collar felon Perry Salisbury. As she tries to adapt to life within her apartment walls, she discovers she hasn’t heard the end of that tattletale neighbor—whose past isn’t as decorous as her 9-1-1 snitching would suggest. Why are police knocking on Jane’s door again? Can her house arrest have a silver lining? Can two wrongs make a right? In the hands of “an inspired alchemist who converts serious subject into humor” (New York Times Book Review)—yes, delightfully.

 

From the very first pages of Ms. Demeanor, I was caught up in the events that turned a tale about house arrest into a journey toward food and love. It was a delightful romantic story with lots of interesting detours and characters.

Our journey takes us from a vicious woman with binoculars to other residents of the apartment building hoping to arrange a green card marriage. I quickly turned the pages until the very satisfactory ending. 5 stars.

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