ALL WE EVER WANTED WAS EVERYTHING

On the day her husband's pharmaceutical company goes public, Janice Miller is having difficulties. First, she can't find the right melon for her special appetizers anywhere in Silicon Valley, and then an email from her husband announces his plans to divorce her, taking everything for himself, including her tennis partner. The story's satire is evident in its situations and in Rebecca Lowman's tones even before Janice gets the fateful email. Irony mounts as Janice's eldest daughter races home, pursued by creditors, while her youngest earns a reputation as "school slut." Janice's purchases of methamphetamines from the pool guy build tension and black comedy, both skillfully rendered by Lowman. Problems clear up late in the story, but it seems right for the absurdities to dominate. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2008]