THE SIDE OF THE ANGELS

by Alexander Fedoroff ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A difficult book to appraise, for- while its impact and force are undeniable- the handling goes far beyond the boundaries of even impolite society. Through the stories of five young Americans, attempting to adjust themselves in the period between World War II and the Korean ""police action"", practically every aspect of social and moral disintegration is presented -- and in every case the justification of the individual places him- and by implication her- ""on the side of the angels"". Steve finds difficulty in orienting himself until writing seems the answer -- and that career goes into a tailspin while he faces the blame, unjustly, of his neurotic young wife's abortion and death; ""Tiger"", unable to find a job, takes, on a car stealing racket- but eventually pulls out and finds himself in work as spokesman for union amalgamation; Warren, hating his own sex aberration, discovers that he is not alone- and his period of flaunting his homosexuality affords some of the most detailed handling this reader has encountered; Dr. Kaufman, in love for the first time with Helen, comes up against the inflexible barrier of his Jewish family- and almost throws his love away; Zeeda- in rebellion- becomes a Communist organizer -- and when she is repudiated for a failure she does not acknowledge- suicides. Throughout- the backdrop of the political and social scene -- and the foreground of sexuality in every form- cloud the main issues, and will be distasteful to many who might have found in the skeleton substance of significance for the American scene.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Ivan Obolensky

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1960

Categories: FICTION