STEFAN’S PROMISE

by Sam Rennick ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

A sprawling debut novel focuses on two men and their perspective-shifting friendship.

This book opens in 1968, as Alan Young fails his United States Naval Reserve physical. But the ailment is minor and the prospect of being sent to Vietnam becomes a possibility. Alan throws himself into campaigning for Eugene McCarthy for president in the meantime and makes his way through the end of college with his friends, particularly Stefan Kopinski. When Alan is drafted after graduation, he declines his influential father’s attempts to find a safe role for him and decides to immigrate to Canada. He deals with the challenges of expatriate life, finds and loses new friends, and eventually marries Jeanne McCarran, the daughter of his Canadian mentor. After Jeanne gives birth to their daughter, Mary, Alan has a crisis of conscience and decides to return to America to stand trial for evading the draft. Jeanne follows him and makes a new life for herself in St. Louis, where the family settles after Alan is released from prison. The book’s second part follows Stefan, who heads to law school after college and gradually stops responding to Alan’s frequent letters. When Alan has a mental breakdown, Stefan reluctantly goes to see him. As he reconnects with Alan, he begins to reevaluate his life, including his relationships with his wife, ex-wife, and daughters. Ultimately, Stefan decides to leave his law firm to fight for the change he wants to see in the world.

Rennick is a thoughtful writer and makes insightful observations about men’s relationships with one another as well as exploring broader questions of commitment and obligation in employment and marriage. The tale’s omniscient narrator has a tendency to wrap the storytelling in various pronouncements (“The McCarthy campaign, weakening daily, was not so perceived by Alan, who remained optimistic and immensely dedicated”). These, along with the lengthy tangential dialogues on topics like Quebec’s independence movement, are well written, but may be too much at the periphery for readers who prefer a more concise narrative. (The book’s 546-page length is also assisted by a 20-page depiction of the dream that inspires Alan to accept his punishment for draft evasion and a detailed look at the inner life of the man who sues one of Stefan’s clients for employment discrimination.) Though some of the female characters eventually develop into well-rounded contributors to the overall plot, nearly all are introduced with an assessment of their physical attributes (“She had fine, firm hips and superbly proportioned thighs and calves”; “the shapely girl who was leading them to their seats”; “her bosom was large”; “her bulging breasts”; “unquestionably still an attractive woman, despite a rough menopause not quite played out”). For several women, their sexual availability is their defining characteristic. But the story’s principal players are for the most part thoroughly developed and exist to make substantive contributions to the plot and themes. Although the page count may deter some potential readers, the novel is on the whole an enjoyable read, and one that feels easier and much less daunting than it may seem at first glance.

A long but well written story of friendships and growth in the 20th century.

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-948261-20-3

Page Count: 562

Publisher: Hugo House Publishers

Review Posted Online: March 13, 2020

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

HISTORICAL FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP