THE SCORCHING WIND

This is a very well told novel, fast and lyric, about the Irish Rebellion which began during World War I when the Irish refused to fight for the British in Belgium and France. It concerns two brothers, Dominic, a medical student, and Dualta, who goes off to fight for the Empire and comes back wounded. Dualta then helps organize the Irish underground, but Dominic is unconvinced of the rebels' cause. However, he falls in with them and steals weapons and fights in some skirmishes. When he is captured and tortured, he becomes persuaded indeed of the cause. At the height of the rebels' activities (Dominic has escaped from jail), a truce is signed with the Irish, giving them a status comparable to Canada's. The rebels, however, want total freedom. Meanwhile, Dualta enlists with the New Police, while Dominic carries on as a rebel. In the climactic scene, Dominic's rebels kill Dualta and Dominic carries the body home to their mother. Aside from this final bit of melodrama, the story flows with clear-voiced realism, skilled plotting and very live dialogue.