Best new novels / Kabuki in a G-String by M.S. Simpson
Best new novels of the year include Kabuki in a G-String by M.S. Simpson, based on Henry James’ The Ambassadors. Roberta Martin from Lubbock, Texas, goes to Paris to retrieve her Aunt Helen’s wayward son Chad, who left Lubbock and never returned, with the promise of adoption as Helen’s heir if she is successful. Roberta discovers the truth about Chad after a period of naiveté: Chad is happy in Paris, a sophisticated, urbane teacher, living with a French Moroccan. Needless to say, this complicate matters, as does the fact that Roberta falls in love for the first time. This all adds up to one of the best new novels.
The novel culminates in the arrival of Helen and her friend Loreen, Roberta’s nemesis. Chad remains in Paris. Roberta chooses liberation over money and adoption. But Helen is undefeated, even as she departs Paris empty-handed. This is just another battle to maintain her threatened way of life and to redeem her son’s soul.
This is one of the best new novels. It is a comedy of manners and a sharp commentary on America’s perennial culture wars. With characters of differing nationality, background, and religious orientation, just as in Henry James’ The Ambassadors, this novel looks at how urban modernity clashes with conservatism and tradition.
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