海角大神

'Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk' celebrates a remarkable NY character

A formerly fabulous ad executive walks Manhattan on New Year鈥檚 Eve in 1984.

Before Peggy Olson of 鈥淢ad Men,鈥� there was Margaret Fishback.

In the 1930s, the Macy鈥檚 ad exec was the highest paid female copywriter in the world. The society page staple turned out books of poetry and etiquette, in addition to crafting 鈥渋rresistible little eye-drop-sized points of wit鈥� about everything from pea shellers to hosiery.

The ads are long gone and her poetry (鈥淒orothy Parker by way of Edna St. Vincent Millay鈥�) is out of print. But a new century is lucky enough to be introduced to Ms. Fishback, at least in fictional form, in Kathleen Rooney鈥檚 witty new novel, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk.

The book takes place on New Year鈥檚 Eve in 1984, where, after an unfortunate encounter with a box of Oreos, Lilian resolves to break with tradition (veal rollatini and green noodles at her favorite Italian restaurant) and attend a party. Applying her Helena Rubenstein Orange Fire lipstick (which she stockpiled after the color was discontinued) and putting on her mink, Lillian starts walking.

鈥淎 motto favored by the ancients was solvitur ambulando: It is solved by walking.

Sometimes, I might add, by walking out,鈥� Lillian, who remembers a more elegant and sophisticated age, thinks.

This isn鈥檛 today鈥檚 shined-up New York or the Jazz Age playground of her youth. 鈥淭he city I inhabit now is not the city that I moved to in 1926; it has become a mean-spirited action movie complete with repulsive plot twists and preposterous dialogue,鈥� Lillian says. Her walk takes place shortly after subway vigilante Bernie Goetz shot four teenagers he claimed tried to rob him of $5 鈥� and her son is desperate to have her leave her Murray Hill apartment and join him in Maine, where it鈥檚 safe.

But New York has been home to Lillian since she fled her disapproving mother and the narrow life open to women in the 1920s. Lillian used her intelligence and wit to carve a life for herself, and she鈥檚 not going to abandon the city she loves because of a crime wave.

鈥淭he city is dazzling but uncompassionate,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t always has been, but I feel it more now.鈥�

Lillian, however, still has reserves of compassion and civility to share with both readers and everyone she encounters. As she travels 鈥� mingling with limo drivers, teens, waiters, thieves, artists, and convenience store clerks 鈥� she recalls other memorable walks during her almost 50 years in the city.

Long ago characters include her boss, Chester, who couldn鈥檛 write copy but had an instinct for what would sell and a sign behind his desk that read: 鈥淣ever Use a Superlative in Any Ad Here. It May Lead to Exaggeration.鈥� Her hapless rival, Olive, whom Lillian couldn鈥檛 seem to help needling, even though she vowed 鈥渘ever to waste her exertions cultivating an enemy.鈥� Her beloved poetry editor, whom she had to stop from changing the title of her first collection from 鈥淥h, Do Not Ask for Promises,鈥� to 鈥淔requent Wishing on the Gracious Moon.鈥�

Lillian wonders if maybe her life would have been different if she鈥檇 listened to him. Readers can only be grateful she stuck to her guns 鈥� I would not spend 10 pages with the author of 鈥淔requent Wishing on the Gracious Moon.鈥� Lillian, the 鈥渨orld-weary but cheery鈥� writer, on the other hand, is very good company indeed. And then there鈥檚 Max, the handsome rug buyer for whom she gave up her vow never to marry 鈥� and ultimately, a whole lot more.

An octogenarian on foot late at night is a subject of concern to many passersby, but Lillian waves off all warnings breezily.

鈥� 鈥業 walk everywhere, dearest,鈥� I say. And it鈥檚 true: I like the exercise and the subway cars are graffitied with so much text it鈥檚 like being screamed at, like the voices inside my head and everyone else鈥檚 have manifested their yelling outside.鈥�

Of more concern to her is what kind of housewarming present she can purchase at a bodega 鈥� and whether she can find out the name of the rap song she caught just a snippet of from a passing car. Lillian鈥檚 New York life has taken her from the Lindy hop to break-dancing, and she has relished it all.

鈥淭he point of living in the world is just to stay interested,鈥� Lillian thinks at one point. Time spent with Ms. Boxfish could never be boring.