A TRIP TO THE STARS

A Trip To The Stars ($24.95; Feb. 8; 416 pp.; 0-385-31804-9): In a novel filled with occasionally breathtaking

convergences between events, Christopher (Veronica, 1995, etc.) makes a think-yarn of the adventures of a small boy and his aunt after they are separated. As in the author’s earlier work, there’s an early rupture: In 1965, ten-year-old Loren is abducted from his aunt by the enigmatic Junius Samax and taken to Las Vegas. Samax, who is in fact Loren’s great-uncle, introduces the boy to an engaging gallery of misfits and eccentrics, each with his or her own way of looking at the world. Aunt Mala, meanwhile, ships out to Vietnam, loves and loses, and after some 15 years is reunited with Loren. Part of the intrigue here is their parallel lives—and the similar lessons both experienced—in ignorance of each other. With minimum contrivance, Christopher brings them together in a satisfying if, in this case, not quite breathtaking way. A healthy plot, serviceably told,

with a few overheated insights.