The protagonist of this novel of self-deception and loneliness is Albert Schmidt, a widowed, retired lawyer in his 60s, who has shown neither affection nor tolerance to his daughter, Charlotte. Now, she is married to a Jewish lawyer whose warm family provides her with what she has never had. Meanwhile, Schmidt's life is invaded by the young Puerto Rican waitress with whom he is infatuated. This novel was nominated for the 1996 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.New York Times Book Re