-by A.J. Cronin
320 pages (1953)
an enthralling "weekend novel"An older friend of mine leant me this book...she has owned it since its publication date in the 1950s, and it was one of her favorites. Indeed it was quite a captivating novel. A tad bit 'weak' at the outset, but as the story moved along, the plot thickened - and it evolved into a real page-turner.
A young man learns the story behind his father whom he was told had died long ago. Through his own investigations, the son finds that his father was wrongly convicted of a brutal murder 16 years earlier due to a miscarriage of justice, and was sentenced to life in prison. The son learns the father is still in prison and has already served 15 years of his life sentence. After learning the facts, the son strives to clear his father's name. He eventually exposes a cover up by the police and the political system, which sought to frame his father for the horrible crime. I won't spoil the ending for you, but suffice it to say it was relatively a satisfying one.
I must admit there were some occurrences in the novel which seemed a bit dubious, however, nothing overtly outlandish took place that drew attention away from the story line. I would've liked a bit more characterization of some of the secondary characters - you don't learn too much about the way their minds work. You're also left wondering about the fate of some of the characters. For example, the boy's mother - who received almost ALL the focus at the outset, seemed to 'disappear' near the ending of the book.
However, I must say, overall it was well written in my opinion. This book was not heavy reading - it's one you're able to finish in a couple days...a good "weekend novel."
03/18/2001
No comments:
Post a Comment