GOOD GOODS

A wry, funny, extravagantly knowledgeable romp through the interior-decorating business, both small-scale exurb and Manhattan glitz-celeb. Martha Clement has for some time been mother, wife (to that class orthodontist Herb), and admired interior designer for the aesthetically foundering matrons of Nicholson, Ct. But her varied careers take a startling turn when Martha takes on the decorating job offered by the Drew Markeys (""Mr. and Mrs. Wonder Bread""), who have moved into town in advance of Drew's company, a corporate whopper called Nascacorp--which plans a monster building and heliport. A little dÉcor leads to a little adultery: sex with Drew is toasty warm after male-chauvinist Herb's chilly fingers. And, through Drew, Martha slimily gets the nod for decorating the Nascacorp headquarters. True, the building is mega-crud, as is the oratory of the architect. (""We will go beyond the new brutalism to unite in one matrix the polarities of pure function. . . ."") But Martha does her damnedest--and before long she's a partner of that aging, lazy chirp, Freddie Stafford, at a prestigious firm. On the home front, however, there are problems: despite a ""Herbectomy,"" lover Drew has withdrawn; daughter Annabet is disenchanted with her glittery new mother; teen son Tom is being neglected. And eventually things sour at work too--two bright young assistants start demanding partnership status--as Martha eventually allows her non-conniving, non-exploiting side to surface again (aided by a tart, nice lawyer chum). With lots of on-the-job specifics, from sedate town-houses to Mafia-tinged banks: a lively, often hilarious, stud-and-beam view of a bewitching--and witchy--business.