Limited partnerships

the long version

"Zeidner's sprightly, intelligent and witty third novel (after Alexandra Freed) confirms her talent. Set in an accurately evoked Philadelphia and covering a one-year span in the lives of lovers Malcolm De Witt and Nora Worth, it chronicles the vicissitudes of their relationship and at the same time paints a perceptive picture of life among downwardly mobile yuppies--those who are entitled to the designation by virtue of social class and education, but who earn too little money to live its lifestyle. Malcolm is a sporadically employed architectural designer who has already failed at other careers and seems fated "to take artistic escalators in the wrong direction." Nora, who has abandoned her aspiration to be an artist, works as a TV food stylist and designs costumes for TV ads. The precarious state of his finances makes passive, reclusive Malcolm surly and unready for marriage, while perpetually hyper Nora nags him to tie the knot. As concern over money exacerbates their conflicts and perhaps indicates terminal incompatibility, Nora is tempted by a old flame and Malcolm yearns for the IRS agent who is investigating his failure to pay taxes. A mysterious $30,000 that suddenly appears in Nora's bank account only adds to the tension. Zeidner has a keen eye for modern lifestyles, and her dialogue is sharp and true, especially when the lovers bicker. If her characters are sometimes too flaky to be entirely appealing, they are rendered with admirable fidelity."--Publisher's Weekly summary.