THE FAMILY AND THE FUGITIVE

by Hila Colman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 1972

A specialist in trendy topics scores again in a novel about five diverse young people -- two couples and an unhappily odd man who splits toward the end -- coming together in a commune, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. When it comes to a decision about sheltering Sandy, a young war resister gone underground after being falsely accused of a bombing, the arguments for caution and commitment come from unexpected sources; Sandy herself, before moving on to another harbor and eventual arrest, acts as a catalyst for the working out of her hosts' personal and interpersonal snags. The novel begins promisingly from the point of view of Jill, a decent middle class girl troubled by conflicting loyalties toward her parents, husband, baby, and new ""family,"" but by the time we have been into and out of a few other heads, Colman has descended to sentimentality (toward one girl's on site marriage, expected baby, and new-found grandmother) and psycho-sociology (the general need for family support, Sandy as a case study in militance). Nevertheless the author takes it easy on the issues (and even, this time, on the parents) and her wholesome young couples deserve the chance she gives them.

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1972

Categories: FICTION