by James Salter
First published 2013
Philip Bowman comes home from naval service in the Pacific, where he fought in battles near Okinawa during World War II. He lands work as a book editor in New York, entering a publishing world still intimate and personal. Small houses dominate the industry. Editors and writers gather in storied apartments for parties that stretch until dawn. Philip finds his professional footing in this literary circle, making connections and celebrating unexpected successes. Yet romance eludes him completely. His first marriage crumbles. A second relationship never reaches the altar. Then he encounters a woman who captivates him entirely, only to deceive him in ways that redirect his entire future. Salter crafts Philip's story with spare, precise language as his protagonist moves through a rapidly changing America, navigating the complex terrain of desire and professional ambition in postwar New York.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, unreliable-narrator
Setting: New York, Pacific, Okinawa
Period: World War II, Postwar
290 pages · Hardcover · Knopf