Marcy Dermansky’s HOT AIR is a short and sharp novel that manages to pack in five distinct points of view as the lives of the characters collide --- or perhaps crash into each other --- for a handful of intense days.

Joannie and Johnny are on their first date. To avoid having to arrange babysitters for their kids, Johnny’s son, Tyler, and Joannie’s daughter, Lucy (who are the same age), are watching movies in the basement while the adults are hanging out in Johnny’s backyard pool. It has been seven years since Joannie has dated, and Johnny’s ex-wife lives across the street. So things are complicated, to say the least, and they aren’t even sure they’re attracted to each other.

"Sometimes funny, often dark, and sexual without being sexy, the book takes a look at regret, yearnings and complacency, and throws in just a touch of inspiration to lighten the mood. Dermansky’s prose is a sizzling staccato, and her story is just wild."

But before they can get to really know each other, a hot-air balloon falls from the sky right into Johnny’s pool. Joannie acts quickly, rescuing the man piloting the balloon while the female passenger manages on her own. Surprisingly, they are billionaires Jonathan and Julia Foster. And even more surprisingly, Jonathan was Joannie’s first kiss back at summer camp.

When the balloon crashes, Julia takes advantage of the situation. It is her wedding anniversary to Jonathan, and the balloon ride was a grand gesture in a tense and unhappy marriage. Before the night is over, Julia and Johnny sleep together, and Joannie and Jonathan contemplate doing the same (only to be thwarted by Lucy). The next morning, with tensions even higher, Julia decides that Lucy can satisfy her maternal desires. So she whisks Lucy and Joannie off to Universal Studios. As the trio revels (Lucy) and suffers (Julia and Joannie) through the amusement park, Jonathan continues to consider his complicated and problematic feelings for his young assistant, Vivian. And Vivian does her best to get out from under his thumb.

Readers get the almost stream-of-consciousness perspective of each character as they weigh options, ponder their feelings and responses, judge each other, calculate their next moves, and try to figure out just what the heck they want. Jonathan and Julia are selfish and often unscrupulous, but occasionally they are bothered by these traits they recognize in themselves. Joannie is down in the dumps and suggestable, making bad decisions either because they are easy or because she holds out hope for excitement and change. Vivian knows what she needs to do, but she feels powerless to stand up to her bosses. Instead, she resorts to sneaky behaviors that never solve her problems or truly make her feel better. Only Johnny seems relatively content throughout the story, but Dermansky doesn’t paint him in a flattering light either.

HOT AIR features less-than-likable people in some pretty unusual situations. Dermansky does a good job capturing the complex interiority of each of them, rendering them more compelling. Sometimes funny, often dark, and sexual without being sexy, the book takes a look at regret, yearnings and complacency, and throws in just a touch of inspiration to lighten the mood. Dermansky’s prose is a sizzling staccato, and her story is just wild.