HOME FROM THE HILL

A novel succeeds a volume of short stories and it records its tragedy of human waste in consistent and convincing terms, to which the background- the woods and hills of an east Texas village- lends a particular accent. This is the story of the Hunnicutts; the Captain who cuts a flashing figure as a gentleman-hunter with a sharp eye for women as well as squirrels; Hannah, his wife, undeceived and unforgiving; and Theron, their only son, who worships his father and shares his passion for boar and coon. An intense, solemn, and innocent young man, Theron falls in love with Libby Halstead- only to face her father's antagonism when he imputes the sins of the father to the son. Hannah, with bitterness, adds her condemnation of the Captain, and in so doing, forfeits Theron's love for her as well, and is alone to survive the wreckage of their lives.... A writer of some severity as well as sensitivity, Humphrey has achieved a first novel with a measure of distinction and it is a forceful drama.