Robert Prentice has spent all his life attempting to escape his mother's stiflin
g presence. His mother, Alice, for her part, struggles with her own demons as sh
e attempts to realize her dreams of prosperity and success as a sculptor. As Rob
ert goes off to fight in Europe, hoping to become his own man, Richard Yates por
trays a soldier in the depths of war striving to live up to his heroic ideals. W
ith haunting clarity, Yates crafts an unforgettable portrait of two people who c
annot help but hope for more even as life challenges them both.
