THE WATERS AND THE WILD

by Leslie Paul ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 1975

A damp piece about the friendship of two East Anglian boys during W.W. II, delivered with an adult's nostalgic recollection of quite beautiful countryside and a ruthless rendering of local dialect which sidesteps whenever possible the accusative case (""I'll murder he!""). Harry, eleven, and Ben, a year younger, find their special secret hideout on a lake island, where, as the seasons change, they build a raft, monitor swans, at last catch the gigantic pike they've claimed for their own, and endure the incursions of a disagreeable schoolmate and his curiously affectionate friend, a soldier (there's a fulsome homosexual episode observed by Ben). At the close Harry dies in a hospital of consumption and Ben, weathering through, conquers his grief. The author's avuncular perspective and the dialect may prove an obstacle for those who might like to read he.

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 181

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1975

Categories: FICTION