Regina.

New York, NY Coward, McCann & Geoghegan , 1982. Hardcover First Ed, unstated. Fine in Very Good+ DJ: Book is without flaw; shows binding square and secure; text clean. DJ shows only minor indications of very light use (only very mild rubbing), but there is some sun-blanching at the backstrip (the titles thereon remain bold and clearly legible) and there is a small patch at the upper rear panel that is very slightly blanched; else flawless; price unclipped. Remains close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. 251pp. First Ed, unstated. Hardback with DJ. Leslie Epstein's "Regina" takes us deep into the messy life of the title character, a hyper-literate, anxiety-prone New Yorker. An offered role in a big production of Chekhov's "The Seagull" offers her focus and a haven, but with it comes even more anxiety. Epstein weaves a fabric out of his two main story ideas. One is Regina's work on the play, and the resonances she finds in Chekhov's words to her life. The other is the strange faith-healer she accidently discovers in a downtrodden section of the city who challenges her skeptical world view. Epstein's focus here is strong: you care about the situations. A gay black man in a wheelchair offers the closest thing to positive thinking: "Hope, man! You cut it, you squash it, but it keeps growing back, like worms do, or starfish arms." The starfish motif is one of many highly particularized callbacks to Chekhov's play, and used again at the end in an effectively rendered bedtime story Epstein apparently borrowed from his 12-year-old daughter. There are moments like these of solid engagement and storycraft throughout the book. A toughtful, engaging, and well-constructed work of fiction.