A BIG STORM KNOCKED IT OVER ...

A BIG STORM KNOCKED IT OVER by Laurie Colwin (HarperPerennial: $12.; 259 pp.). The last novel by a talented writer who died prematurely in 1992, “Storm” focuses on a young woman in New York City who observes the messy state of the families she knows and despairs of making her own marriage work. Jane Louise Parker loves her husband and enjoys her work as a graphic designer, but she’s haunted by the fear that her happiness will crumble, despite her efforts to preserve it. The honest vulnerability of the characters sets Colwin’s novel apart from the vapid tales of Manhattan neurotics who decry their angst in trendy clubs and chic boutiques.