THE AGE OF CONSENT by Geoffrey...

THE AGE OF CONSENT by Geoffrey Wolff (Picador: $12.; 226 pp.). Wolff’s finely wrought novel takes place in upstate New York: Well-to-do ex-hippies lead semi-communal lives in Blackberry Hill, raising their children under the benevolent eye of resident guru Doc Halliday. But when 15-year-old Maisie Jenks launches a near-suicidal dive into the swimming hole, the ripples threaten to swamp the smug community. The Jenks family crumbles under the stress of Maisie’s long, difficult recovery. Everyone attempts to get past the unhappy experience except Ted, Maisie’s younger brother, who insists on knowing the reason behind every action; his relentless probing leads to a dark and affecting climax.