Books in the news; The Second Window

Robert Gorham on books in the news. A quick look at newly published material and books of current interest. Your host Robert Oram director of public services at the University of Illinois Library. When reading the novels of Robert long now Lord Norman the nephew of the late Somerset Maugham and I was reminded the phrase that runs through Stella Givens Cold Comfort Farm he may remember the grandmother rule Cold Comfort Farm with an iron hand for whenever she was crossed she would threaten hysterics because she had seen something nasty in the woodshed when she was two with my embrace Mr. Maule must also have seen something nasty when he was young and trying to resolve his troubles by writing about it under cover of fiction. Actually the hero Martin New York Robin mom's the second window published when a girl he'll see something nasty at age 9 and he spent his life using the Internet as a shield to protect him against involvement with others. Well this book is also a story of a weak willed man who practices that the tyranny of the weak and his life is thereby an exploration of guilt and guilt obsessional. I try not to involve him so with others Ironically he becomes deeply involved in destruction of others who trust and rely on him. Europe

makes his living as a muckraking journalist living on exposing the vices of others but when his work becomes all too symbolic he's forced to seek his own identity. How he does this is the basis for the structure of this novel. And he Somerset Maugham like approach would we find that he retired would it work. I just purchased the house of Martin York who we learned has recently been murdered in Africa. When examining the house he becomes aware that there's a second window which he had not noticed before which seems to be boarded up. He goes upstairs finds a panel in the wall and behind it is a small room which is a perfect replica of a prison cell in this cell the Woodward finds a manuscript book in which Martin York had written his thoughts not just a diary but a deliberate attempt to explore his mind through the events of the past. That have been written in this I was a part of a penance that is a nice eye means of self-inflicted punishment as we move backward through York's life and toward the resolution of the trauma age 9. We first see him in Afro Asian world of Mumbai. And there he meets a drug ridden English one who was forced to a 13 year old grandchild Aminta into prostitution to make money for her addiction

trying to gain her confidence for a story he is writing for his paper on the vices of Mumbai. He makes promises to both women he knows he cannot keep and it is just at this point that he flees when Vasa for England and the sale. Is the final blow once again he says in his book weakness and stupidity I had failed and yet again I had escaped. I had never suffered enough from my betrayal as I got away with it too often and each pain of guilt I had assuage with a fresh bottle of liquor I now despise myself so thoroughly that I knew that I must redeem myself I must atone for the wrongs I had done. I must have a time for repentance. And so this is cell came into existence. From within the cell he bears the soul for himself and consequently us until he has reached the traumatic experience. We fall into the war where he has killed a man for cowardice to journalistic experience with a man he interviews commit suicide. He takes us through similar experiences until he feels he has cleansed his guilt and is now determined to make atonement to the young girl Linda his portion of the book ends as he walks out of the sail returns to Mombasa Ironically only to be murdered. Robin Bond deals

heavily and I think effectively in irony we're not sure whether York went to atone for his treatment of the girl when he went back to Liberty to be killed. Ironically too in the epilogue we're going to York sister the traumatic experience at age 19 happened only in his mind and had been brought on by a fit of jealousy. There are some effective characterizations in this book Forever in my own right so the guilt obsessed as if they were a part of his own soul and musingly in a preface to this book he just claims being the model for his hero. Like his uncle he can tell a good story and create an effective movie. And once again Overall this book is the corrosive tone of sexual ambivalence. The whole arc of many of Mom's other novels so vision of a soul in torment from self induced guilt is rather strongly to not everybody's entre still the guilt ridden the self deluded ones are all around us and mom's all too vivid portrayal of such people is a legitimate use of fiction and as such is a virtuoso job. The second window by Robin log. Books in the news is prepared and presented by Robert Gorham and sponsored by the Illinois State Library. This program was distributed by the national

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