Without Leave

by Deborah Fleming

Without Leave chronicles the stories of two alienated young people during 1967-70-David, who goes AWOL from the Navy where he'd hoped to find training and focus for his life but finds only boredom and disillusionment during deployment on an aircraft carrier and an artist, Diane, who drops out of college after a brutal rape and the death of the black man she loved-who meet and fall in love in the Haight-Ashbury region of San Francisco in 1967 only to find they cannot escape their past: David cannot be free while a fugitive and Diane cannot be free in a segregated society at war with itself.

Unknown Binding

First published June 18, 2014

Reviews

[Waheed Rabbani · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1967 San Francisco, Seaman David Shields is on shore leave from the USS Loyola, having returned from service in the Western Pacific. He sits on a grassy hillside park and, encouraged by other people’s singing and guitar playing, he starts to croon. Diane, a flower child, is drawn to him. They discover they have much in common. Both are from Ohio and didn’t finish school due to unfortunate circumstances. While Diane is disillusioned with the period’s mores and is living in a commune, David is distraught with his naval service. Although only halfway through his hitch, he is considering deserting. Diane tempts him: “We have room, if you need a place to stay. Got a sleeping bag?” David accepts and extends his liberty both from the Navy and at the enclave. But with conflicts developing with his new ‘friends,’ and Navy chasers on his trail, his idyllic life can’t last indefinitely.

Deborah Fleming has set this heartbreaking love story during the turbulent late 1960s, the era of the Vietnam War and student unrest. The details of life on an aircraft carrier and the antics of sailors on shore leave are both mesmerizing and hilarious. The desires, aspirations, and disappointments among the youth of the period are well illustrated. Scenes of life in the commune bring readers into the lives of the residents there, sharing their tokes. Although covered in more detail than seems necessary for the plot, the student riots at Ohio State and the actions of the National Guard are narrated well. In particular, a scene depicting the famous photograph flashed around the world, of a girl kneeling with outstretched arms, is skillfully embedded in the story. Despite the unimpressive cover, the novel would be of great interest to those wanting to learn about this turbulent period, especially members of the younger generation who didn’t live through it.

This review first appeared in the HNR magazine issue 76 (May 2016)

[Rick Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a poet’s only published novel. It is sixties in style and in content. This reads like a product of the sixties, but was actually published in 2014. There are some vivid scenes, esp involving hallucinogens, but most of it is straightforward narrative. This reminds me of a hallucinogen user, whose tripping intensity is subtracted from the rest of life. The spare narrative and realism somehow left me with a strong sensation of longing and loss.

[Austin Carroll Keeley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like a couple drink college freshman asking life's big questions. Might be interesting if you haven't thought about it before. Flat characters, no real story arc. Only redeeming factors were the references to places in San Francisco.