At barely 100 pages, Ann Beattie’s Walks With Men ends before Tolstoy could clear his throat. The story of edgy love and inappropriate marriage captures New York in the ‘80s with a surety reminiscent of early John Updike. The ending lacks the bang you expect from Beattie, and the setting may be better than the characters. But her minimalist voice—missing from the literary scene the past few years—still has great appeal.