War Babies

By Frederick Busch

Book Overview

Peter Santore, the narrator, is an American lawyer in his mid-thirties come to England to track down a certain Hilary Pennels, the daughter of a Korean War hero who died in a POW camp, the same camp in which Peter's own father turned traitor and whose informing became, perhaps, the cause of Hilary's father's death. Only Hilary's guardian, Fox himself a survivor of the camp can explain, if he will, the troubling past that haunts the now fully grown "war babies." As Frederick Busch's relentless narrative bears down upon this complexity of betrayals, the lines between exploiter and exploited become eerily blurred.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811214761
• ISBN13: 9780811214766
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
• Length: 121 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

War Babies

Frederick Busch has written a supberb 114 page novella that delves into the psyche of two adults born during the years of the Korean War, or forgotten war as called by some. In his thirties and driven by associated guilt from his fathers actions while in a prisoner of war camp, Peter Santore sheds his lawyer suit to leave the States for England where he searches out the daughter of a hero from the same prison camp as his father. He yearns for peace from his troubling past and hopes to find answers from a total stanger. Through twists and turns and the introduction of Fox, an officer who survived the ordeal and lived to tell about it, vivid tales are retold of what life was like as a prisoner of war during this conflict. Busch weaves intrigue and mystery through betrayals and deceit centered around a whirlwind love story, leaving the reader with a surprise grand finale while paying a subtle homage to Thomas Hardy throughout. I encountered difficulty getting into this story with the first chapter but became engrossed as Buschs characters rose from the pages. An interesting fast read for those curious about the Korean conflict.