Despite its shifting points of view, the writing is clear and sharp, like a figure standing on a roof silhouetted against the sky. Bemrose has a genuine talent for describing place: "as a breeze touched the trees across the river, showing the light undersides of their leaves like a woman's slip." But his primary skill, and the delight of the novel, lies in his ability to create credible characters. Basically a decent man doomed by circumstance, Alf stands at the heart of the novel's tragic world of change and loss. Other characters are equally well depicted: Joe, in love for the first time; beautiful, intelligent Anna, the object of his affections; the crusty and experienced Doyle; the ambiguous Bob Prince, a mill executive whose motives are difficult to measure. Although the slew of affairs and dramatic events occasionally threatens to slip into a Peyton Place-like soap, Bemrose manages a rich depiction of small-town tragedy. --Mark Frutkin
]]>Despite its shifting points of view, the writing is clear and sharp, like a figure standing on a roof silhouetted against the sky. Bemrose has a genuine talent for describing place: "as a breeze touched the trees across the river, showing the light undersides of their leaves like a woman's slip." But his primary skill, and the delight of the novel, lies in his ability to create credible characters. Basically a decent man doomed by circumstance, Alf stands at the heart of the novel's tragic world of change and loss. Other characters are equally well depicted: Joe, in love for the first time; beautiful, intelligent Anna, the object of his affections; the crusty and experienced Doyle; the ambiguous Bob Prince, a mill executive whose motives are difficult to measure. Although the slew of affairs and dramatic events occasionally threatens to slip into a Peyton Place-like soap, Bemrose manages a rich depiction of small-town tragedy. --Mark Frutkin
]]>Despite its shifting points of view, the writing is clear and sharp, like a figure standing on a roof silhouetted against the sky. Bemrose has a genuine talent for describing place: "as a breeze touched the trees across the river, showing the light undersides of their leaves like a woman's slip." But his primary skill, and the delight of the novel, lies in his ability to create credible characters. Basically a decent man doomed by circumstance, Alf stands at the heart of the novel's tragic world of change and loss. Other characters are equally well depicted: Joe, in love for the first time; beautiful, intelligent Anna, the object of his affections; the crusty and experienced Doyle; the ambiguous Bob Prince, a mill executive whose motives are difficult to measure. Although the slew of affairs and dramatic events occasionally threatens to slip into a Peyton Place-like soap, Bemrose manages a rich depiction of small-town tragedy. --Mark Frutkin
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