Long Time Passing: A Novel

Containing the same structure as A Separate Peace and Summer of '42 , this story unfolds as a man visiting the place of his youth recalls his growing up. Jonas Duncan's journey begins in 1969, when the 17-year-old narrator moves to Passot, Calif., after his mother dies and his lieutenant colonel father is assigned to Saigon. From the very beginning, Jonas does not get along with his conservative guardian, cousin Hester, and ignores her warnings to avoid the town's unsavory characters. Jonas becomes acquainted with a one-armed seaman and the girl he supposedly fathered, Auleen Delange. The young man falls in love with Auleen, is introduced to her commune friends and follows them to Berkeley, where he hopes to complete his education. Discovering that his father is missing in action, Jonas returns to Passot and impulsively joins the Marines. Those interested in the Vietnam conflict will become absorbed in Jonas's struggle to distinguish heroes from cowards as he weighs his father's patriotism against the beliefs of his newfound friends. While evoking the unrest of the '60s, Jones ( Street Family ; Whistle Down the Dark Lane ) has produced a dramatic tale about love, war and sacrifice. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)