ASH ROAD

by Ivan Southall ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 3, 1966

You could call this a formula novel because there is a close correlation between all the elements of this story and those of the author's excellent Hills End, an ALA Notable Book for 1963. But it's still a good formula, one which proves out to a sustaining sense of tension and an unusually forceful revelation of personality under stress. The disaster here is a fire which rapidly spread out of control in the windy, hot, long-dry Australian bush area. And the characters are several children and a few very elderly people, left by themselves when the others rashly went out to help in the fire-fighting because they didn't think the fire could possibly travel as far as Prescott. There are the three boys who accidentally caused the blaze; Lorna, whose major concern is for her dying father; Pippa, who has to be responsible for her younger brother and sister; and the coddled Peter, who always seems to misunderstand what's happening. As in Hills End the story constantly varies viewpoints, as they vacillate between hysterical panic and extraordinary competence. Particularly well conveyed is the disorganization which affects everyone down the line, and which allowed the damage to be much greater than necessary. But until the end, when a sudden storm puts out the fire just as it reaches the children, the story follows a straight line with a steady accumulation of action.

Pub Date: March 3, 1966

ISBN: 193242511X

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1966

Categories: FICTION