Kirkus Reviews QR Code
TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR by Ben Barzman

TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

By

Publisher: Putnam

The little star in this case is the identical twin of our planet earth- only there war has been abolished and its people are able to enjoy the benefits of advanced science. Ben Barzman has a good idea but his novel promises more than it will give the reader at its end. The reader never visits this other world- and all action takes place here, in Paris. The narrator is a frustrated Canadian newspaperman whose work is monotonous. As a bomber pilot in World War II, he had destroyed the town in France which had been the scene of a boyhood romance. This enables Barzman now to build a strong case against war. The narrator's present girl is a brilliant scientist with a block against sex-and it is she who builds the transmitter which makes contact with the twin world. Through it she contacts her own twin as well as other people from the planets-the narrator's twin and people from his past who were killed in the war. They appear as part of a small scouting delegation but are kept secret during a short visit when they decide not to hold diplomatic relations with a war-minded society such as ours. Meanwhile, the narrator has been able to come to terms with his past and win his girl's complete love. The story is not without interest and it is written briskly, but Barzman is ultimately more concerned with the private lives of the individuals than with the larger issues he raises.