cover image Philip's Chair

Philip's Chair

Dale Eunson. Mercury House, $18.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-916515-48-5

Quiet, moving and immensely rewarding, this recollection of the intertwining lives of two writers who met as schoolboys in Montana and became writers in New York and Hollywood, spans the first half of this century. The friendship of narrator John Ewing and Philip Pearson was shaped by reticence and family constraints. John's family was poor compared to Philip's, but more stable; one winter night, both boys saw beautiful, extravagant Mrs. Pearson running naked in the snow from her husband. Shortly after his discovery that Mr. Pearson is not Philip's fathera fact Philip never learnsJohn moves to Hollywood to work in the movie industry. After Harvard, Philip joins the staff of a New York literary magazine. When John moves East, they share an apartment; later, Philip goes to California where he writes screenplays, and becomes secretive and eccentric. They stay in touch occasionally, even through Philip's stint in London during WW IIwhich speeds him on the path of dissolution. The secret of Philip's paternity, borne by John all their lives, is matched by another secret at the tale's end. A testament to the sorrows and joys of a lifelong attachment, this beautifully told story is rich with details of the literary and film worlds of the '20s and '30s. Eunson ( Up on the Rim ; The Day They Gave Babies Away ) was there and is an admirable witness. (October)