SHORTCOMINGS IN `ALICE' ARE WORTHY OF DISGUST.(LIFE & LEISURE)

Byline: LINNEA LANNON

Do perverts deserve a voice in fiction?

And if they do, should we listen?

These are questions inspired by A.M. (Amy) Homes' new novel, which is attracting quite a buzz.

Told by a man convicted of child molestation and murder, it tells of the man's twisted relationships and his correspondence with a 19-year-old coed intent on seducing a 12-year-old boy in her suburban neighborhood. It has been met with disgust (The New York Times' reviewer ripped it to shreds) as well as more tempered ``well, parts of it are disgusting but. . . . '' reviews.

In other words, it was notorious even before its official publication …