War Babies [Hardcover]

Frederick Busch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1989

Frederick Busch's novel War Babies is a short, powerful moral tale that sheds light upon the insidious nature of evil and the grip history holds on the lives of the seemingly protected innocent. 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.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

National Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award-winner Busch ( Absent Friends ) here offers a short, gory Gothic novella centering on the goings-on of two fashionably thirtysomething lovers: Peter Santore, a dull-witted American lawyer who is in England trying to unearth information about his father (an American who, during the Korean War, turned informer); and Hilary Pennels, whose own father, a war hero, was perhaps betrayed by the elder Santore. Also figuring in the novel's none-too-plausible plot is a kinky former Sergeant-Major and Korean POW who, we are told at every opportunity, has rotting teeth, terrible breath and weepy eyes. He drinks, toasts "absent friends" and narrates war tales famous for their blood and guts. In this slim volume, Busch fails to reach his usual standard of imaginative pathos leavened by humor. Even his dialogue palls: remarks Pete of Vietnam War veterans, "They had a really bad time," to which Hilary replies, "Didn't we all."
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Frederick Busch is the recipient of the 1991 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction, a National Jewish Book Award for Fiction, an Award in Literature from the National Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and the Woodrow Wilson, NEA, James Merrill and Guggenheim Awards. His novel The Night Inspector was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is the Fairchild Professor of Literature at Colgate University, and has been the acting Director of the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 114 pages
• Publisher: New Directions; First Edition edition (October 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811211037
• ISBN-13: 978-0811211031
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,440,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars War Babies, July 16, 2000

By 

Vicki Moss - See all my reviews

This review is from: War Babies (Hardcover)

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.