HEAVEN & EARTH

After his son is violently attacked, Gideon Shand, a writer and lecturer, decides to move his family near a friend's, but, unexpectedly, problems soon develop between the two families

Gideon Shand, the hero of this densely plotted novel, is a free-lance historian and writer, desperately trying to extricate his family from the squalor of the lower-middle-class community in which they live. After his son is beaten up by local bullies, Gideon reluctantly accepts financial assistance from his wealthy best friend, Stephen. The Shands' ensuing move, however, precipitates a series of disasters that expose the fraudulent nature of the family's relationships to each other and to Stephen. While some of the coincidences in the novel strain credulity, Raphael's portrait of the underside of the British intelligentsia is rich in nuance and texture. The dialogue is intelligent; the characters are memorable. A fine novel from the author of Darling and The Glittering Prizes. For most public libraries. Andrea Caron Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, Kan.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.