After the War

by Daniel Stern

Set against the backdrop of New York City in the 1950s, After the War captures those exciting years when everyone was trying to make up for lost time. It was a time for experimentation, and returned World War II veteran Richard Stone deliberately erected a wall of “disconnectionism,” pursued a rootless, Rilke-like existence in borrowed apartments, hocking the belongings for eating (and drinking) money. It was a time for intense living, and love: Richard’s love affair with bewitching and bewildering Jemmy Gordon, only child of a celebrated war correspondent, is a masterpiece of enigma and surprise.

But the years after the war were more than a time to revel in youth and love—they were haunted by the omnipresence of death—in the war and in the tragic legacy of the six million. Daniel Stern has the rare ability to probe the most serious subjects deeply, without compromise, while keeping his reader entertained. Out of the shared experience of Americans determinedly convalescing after the war, he has produced a memorable novel.

Genres: Novels, American, 20th Century

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

Reviews

[Kris McCracken · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a listless, apathetic and confused narrator, this book is a slog. While I'm sure this is intentional, it certainly makes for hard-going reading.

† † 1/2