this is the first heller i've read. i love her writing style. there is an impatience with her characters, driving her careful and thorough descriptions.

plus the bitterly honest humor of a dry martini:

"In truth, though, her earliest inclination had been toward a career in law. As a child she had loved going to see her father perform in court and had spent many happy hours in her bedroom reenacting important, historical trials with her Barbies and her gerbil. It was only in late adolescence that her commitment to a career in law had faded. Picking up on certain familial hints- the mood of rueful skepticism that arose whenever she spoke of law school, her mother's breezy speculations as to whether she might not be "a bit dyslexic"- she came to understand that she had horribly overestimated her potential. Having realized her mistake, she quickly set about correcting herself, and by the time she graduated from high school, her aspirations had been lowered to a level with which everyone could feel comfortable."