SORT OF RICH <i> by James Wilcox (Harper & Row: $8.95) </i>

A stereotypically neurotic New York woman marries a Southern businessman and tries to adjust to the peaceful existence of a small Louisiana town. Like the mythological serpent that devours its own tail, Gretchen Peabody spends all of her time peering into herself, imagining threats and betrayals where none exist. It’s diffcult to imagine her paying attention to anyone else long enough to marry them, let alone easygoing Frank Dambar--or that Frank would marry this rich Yankee, when he fantasizes about sexual encounters with chambermaids. A stale send-up of the conflict between urban and rural life styles, with all the zest of a superannuated Fizzy.