Kabuki in a G-String

Like her Great Grandmother before her, Roberta Martin, a thirty-something librarian from Lubbock, Texas, is swept away by a tornado. In Roberta s case, however, the tornado is the summer splendor of Paris and the arms of an expatriate Australian teacher. As ambassador for the Aunt who raised her, Roberta must cajole her handsome cousin to return to Texas. But her cousin Chad is busily fighting the storm of his fortieth birthday, and Roberta is quickly drawn into a Parisian summer of unimaginable adventure, causing her to question the very foundations of her life.

Can Roberta stay true to her mission? Or will Paris tear Roberta s world apart as an earlier tornado did her Great Grandmother s? Will Roberta choose the blue-sky plains of West Texas over the emotional maelstrom of Paris and a cosmopolitan stage set of characters, each of whom teaches her something new about herself? With her sidekick Loreen K. Albrighton, Roberta s long-time nemesis, Aunt Helen a tornado in her own right has a few tricks up her sleeve; she is not to be underestimated. For Aunt Helen, failure is not an option.

Kabuki in a G-String is at the same time a comedy of manners and a sharp commentary on contemporary America s culture wars. With characters of differing nationality, background, and religious orientation, the novel offers a humorously serious look at urban modernity s inevitable clash with conservatism and tradition.

Earning his PhD in Comparative Literature, M.S. Simpson spent several years in Paris, which he now calls his second home. He knows the magic of the Marais and the wonders of St. Germain de Prés. Like Hemingway, he can say, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Though he has written articles on literature, book reviews and non-fiction, Kabuki in a G-String is M. S. Simpson’s first novel and a tribute to his love affair with Paris.