I really enjoyed reading Irving McDonald's short novel, Hoi-Ah. It not only introduced a cast of interesting characters, it took me back in time to a rarely glimpsed world in a men's college in Massachusetts. The main character, Andy Carroll, intrigued me because, though I know the book was written well over 50 years ago, he seems so modern in spirit and understanding. I found the same to be true in Irving Mcdonald's other work. Perhaps he glimpsed a timeless truth? The human drama changes yet remains much the same.