Inman has had enough of the Civil War; he has fought, been wounded and now wants to go home to the woman he thinks he loves. Off he goes on a dangerous odyssey which at times is reminiscent of a medieval pilgrimage. Frazier's episodic first novel is a powerful portrait of the displacement caused by war. Written in a quiet, heavily descriptive prose which evokes a sense of period while avoiding pastiche, this is a love story with a difference. It is also character rather than situation-driven. Frazier's hero is depressed, self-doubting and hates not only the things war has done to him but what it has made him do; his heroine is meanwhile struggling for survival, which means she must forsake her society ways and learn how to live from nature. Luckily in the resourceful Ruby she has acquired a knowledgeable mentor. Many violent events occur and Inman meets his share of weirdos, yet this is a thoughtful, meditative and at times slightly offbeat narrative. The beauty of the landscape is acknowledged as is the foulness of scrub cover and stagnant water. Though from the South, Frazier has not written a particularly Southern novel, nor it is a Civil War book. It is certainly not a variation of Gone With the Wind. One of the most successful, well-reviewed novels of last year, Frazier's deliberately old-fashioned epic romance with its moments of surreal comedy has been busily out-selling the bestsellers.
