THE THORN TREE

A big novel, the parts of which are better, perhaps, than the whole. The people live in its pages:- Marcy and David Doorn, brother and sister, artistic, successful, gay, worldly, and Elspeth Doorn Esker, whose husband, John died suddenly, inexplicably, leaving Elspeth shattered, unwilling to come to grips with reality, almost escaping beyond normal grief into mental imbalance. Just why- when Elspeth had always been the gayest of the Doorns, center of life?- This was the question Sebastian, the professor brother of the gifted musician, John, returned from Europe to learn. The story, with its elements of tragedy, works itself out as Sebastian seeks to know his brother anew, through the people in his past, and learns the secret Elspeth sought to bury. A deeply emotional book, which will add to her stature.