The Page Turner
David Leavitt'sArkansaswas the surprise of his  career: funny, sexy, and thematically adventurous, it was a complete break from his more traditional narratives. Now, inThe Page Turner, Leavitt returns to  the style and type of story that made him famous. Noted pianist Richard Kennington is a former child prodigy now entering middle age. While in Rome he meets and begins an affair with Paul Porterfield, a young man who is poised to follow in his professional footsteps. The affair is complicated by the fact that Pamela, Paul's mother, is also interested in Richard. The affair is short-lived, but the story--which might remind you of an updated version of a sophisticated 1940s Hollywood romance such asThe Seventh VailorIntermezzo--takes  several startling turns when Richard, Paul, and Pamela discover the power of  love and eroticism; it is more complicated then any of them imagined. Leavitt's tone, slyly serious and ironically romantic, makesThe Page Turnera compelling and surprising read.