THE HOUR OF TRUTH

by David Davidson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 21, 1948

With presumably less popularity of theme and treatment than The Steeper Cliff, this is an abrasive- if aware-portrait of psychic and physical impotence,- in this instance Will Harmon, whose inadequacies vis-a-vis his wife, Laura, have undermined him. Sent to Alba, a mudflat in South America, as part of a mission which will redeem the natives, ill and illiterate, Harmon becomes one of the runaways to a weaker country where only a failure can feel again a man. And through the subservient, adulatory love of Ernestina he gains in efficiency and effectiveness; helps to override the fiascos of the Mission where the gringos, up against a feudal Conquistador government, are made to lose face; offsets the many blackballs; and at the close, which is not without violence, exposes the corruption of those in power and returns, now as an equal, to Laura....A direct and incisive approach to often combustible elements, this is never gentle in its scenes of political derision or personal passion, and may not pass all censure with conservatives. P.L.'s -- watch it.

Pub Date: Jan. 21, 1948

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1948

Categories: FICTION