Tears in the Dust is a contemporary version of Catcher in the Rye, but with gleams of hope intertwined within the despair of life. This is a story which serves to lift the reader up, only to take him back down into the darkness that lurks around the corners of one man's life. Alestair "Alec" Ferguson begins a journey as a young man of nineteen, off to enlist in the Spanish Civil War of 1937, making his way from Vermont to Canada, Texas to Spain, and back again.
The antagonist, Samuel T. Harrison, is a dark and warped Pinkerton's Detective with a deep hatred of communism. Harrison is a dark and violent nemesis. He is instilled with this propensity toward exhilarating violence during his childhood through his alcoholic father. He grows up watching his father beat and rape his mother, which twists Harrison's mind as he plays out these childhood scenes in his own adult life.
Harrison makes his way into the ranks of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, where his first task is to capture Alec's father, Ian Ferguson. His failure in this task shapes Harrison's career and future in dark and menacing ways. No matter his assignment, he is always on the lookout for the one man that eluded him. His boss uses his violent talents for covert operations and interrogations. People disappear whenever Harrison comes to town.
The story chronicles Alec's journey to Spain to fight in a war filled with personal loss and disillusionment. Along the way, Alec meets a fellow traveler, Seth, who leads Alec through his journey from Canada to Spain and into war. While in Spain, Alec falls in love with Tamara, a convoy driver for the International Brigade. The war takes a heavy toll on Alec's life, and he learns just how high the costs of war can be. Disillusioned, Alec fights on despite the damage done to his once strongly held beliefs.
When the civil war ends, Alec is left to find his way back home, marching through the Pyrenees into France in the wake of the collapse of the Popular Front, the national communist party. Veterans of the Spanish Civil War were not well-received by any government after their defeat, and Alec is forced to make his way through to the coast of France on foot and by hopping trains. He is helped along the way by unlikely and unlooked for compatriots, who assist him in getting to England and avoid the French police on the look-out for fleeing communist internationals flooding in from Spain.
From Spain to England, from England to Canada, and across the border back to Vermont, Alec returns to his home in Vermont, seeking healing and the redemption of his ideals. What he finds there instead, causes him to flee back to Canada to live the rest of his life under a false identity.
But, no matter how far he goes, Alec cannot outrun Harrison, who pursues him through years and countries, only to catch up with him in a stunning conclusion to the story.
"1100248624"
The antagonist, Samuel T. Harrison, is a dark and warped Pinkerton's Detective with a deep hatred of communism. Harrison is a dark and violent nemesis. He is instilled with this propensity toward exhilarating violence during his childhood through his alcoholic father. He grows up watching his father beat and rape his mother, which twists Harrison's mind as he plays out these childhood scenes in his own adult life.
Harrison makes his way into the ranks of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, where his first task is to capture Alec's father, Ian Ferguson. His failure in this task shapes Harrison's career and future in dark and menacing ways. No matter his assignment, he is always on the lookout for the one man that eluded him. His boss uses his violent talents for covert operations and interrogations. People disappear whenever Harrison comes to town.
The story chronicles Alec's journey to Spain to fight in a war filled with personal loss and disillusionment. Along the way, Alec meets a fellow traveler, Seth, who leads Alec through his journey from Canada to Spain and into war. While in Spain, Alec falls in love with Tamara, a convoy driver for the International Brigade. The war takes a heavy toll on Alec's life, and he learns just how high the costs of war can be. Disillusioned, Alec fights on despite the damage done to his once strongly held beliefs.
When the civil war ends, Alec is left to find his way back home, marching through the Pyrenees into France in the wake of the collapse of the Popular Front, the national communist party. Veterans of the Spanish Civil War were not well-received by any government after their defeat, and Alec is forced to make his way through to the coast of France on foot and by hopping trains. He is helped along the way by unlikely and unlooked for compatriots, who assist him in getting to England and avoid the French police on the look-out for fleeing communist internationals flooding in from Spain.
From Spain to England, from England to Canada, and across the border back to Vermont, Alec returns to his home in Vermont, seeking healing and the redemption of his ideals. What he finds there instead, causes him to flee back to Canada to live the rest of his life under a false identity.
But, no matter how far he goes, Alec cannot outrun Harrison, who pursues him through years and countries, only to catch up with him in a stunning conclusion to the story.
Tears in the Dust
Tears in the Dust is a contemporary version of Catcher in the Rye, but with gleams of hope intertwined within the despair of life. This is a story which serves to lift the reader up, only to take him back down into the darkness that lurks around the corners of one man's life. Alestair "Alec" Ferguson begins a journey as a young man of nineteen, off to enlist in the Spanish Civil War of 1937, making his way from Vermont to Canada, Texas to Spain, and back again.
The antagonist, Samuel T. Harrison, is a dark and warped Pinkerton's Detective with a deep hatred of communism. Harrison is a dark and violent nemesis. He is instilled with this propensity toward exhilarating violence during his childhood through his alcoholic father. He grows up watching his father beat and rape his mother, which twists Harrison's mind as he plays out these childhood scenes in his own adult life.
Harrison makes his way into the ranks of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, where his first task is to capture Alec's father, Ian Ferguson. His failure in this task shapes Harrison's career and future in dark and menacing ways. No matter his assignment, he is always on the lookout for the one man that eluded him. His boss uses his violent talents for covert operations and interrogations. People disappear whenever Harrison comes to town.
The story chronicles Alec's journey to Spain to fight in a war filled with personal loss and disillusionment. Along the way, Alec meets a fellow traveler, Seth, who leads Alec through his journey from Canada to Spain and into war. While in Spain, Alec falls in love with Tamara, a convoy driver for the International Brigade. The war takes a heavy toll on Alec's life, and he learns just how high the costs of war can be. Disillusioned, Alec fights on despite the damage done to his once strongly held beliefs.
When the civil war ends, Alec is left to find his way back home, marching through the Pyrenees into France in the wake of the collapse of the Popular Front, the national communist party. Veterans of the Spanish Civil War were not well-received by any government after their defeat, and Alec is forced to make his way through to the coast of France on foot and by hopping trains. He is helped along the way by unlikely and unlooked for compatriots, who assist him in getting to England and avoid the French police on the look-out for fleeing communist internationals flooding in from Spain.
From Spain to England, from England to Canada, and across the border back to Vermont, Alec returns to his home in Vermont, seeking healing and the redemption of his ideals. What he finds there instead, causes him to flee back to Canada to live the rest of his life under a false identity.
But, no matter how far he goes, Alec cannot outrun Harrison, who pursues him through years and countries, only to catch up with him in a stunning conclusion to the story.
The antagonist, Samuel T. Harrison, is a dark and warped Pinkerton's Detective with a deep hatred of communism. Harrison is a dark and violent nemesis. He is instilled with this propensity toward exhilarating violence during his childhood through his alcoholic father. He grows up watching his father beat and rape his mother, which twists Harrison's mind as he plays out these childhood scenes in his own adult life.
Harrison makes his way into the ranks of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, where his first task is to capture Alec's father, Ian Ferguson. His failure in this task shapes Harrison's career and future in dark and menacing ways. No matter his assignment, he is always on the lookout for the one man that eluded him. His boss uses his violent talents for covert operations and interrogations. People disappear whenever Harrison comes to town.
The story chronicles Alec's journey to Spain to fight in a war filled with personal loss and disillusionment. Along the way, Alec meets a fellow traveler, Seth, who leads Alec through his journey from Canada to Spain and into war. While in Spain, Alec falls in love with Tamara, a convoy driver for the International Brigade. The war takes a heavy toll on Alec's life, and he learns just how high the costs of war can be. Disillusioned, Alec fights on despite the damage done to his once strongly held beliefs.
When the civil war ends, Alec is left to find his way back home, marching through the Pyrenees into France in the wake of the collapse of the Popular Front, the national communist party. Veterans of the Spanish Civil War were not well-received by any government after their defeat, and Alec is forced to make his way through to the coast of France on foot and by hopping trains. He is helped along the way by unlikely and unlooked for compatriots, who assist him in getting to England and avoid the French police on the look-out for fleeing communist internationals flooding in from Spain.
From Spain to England, from England to Canada, and across the border back to Vermont, Alec returns to his home in Vermont, seeking healing and the redemption of his ideals. What he finds there instead, causes him to flee back to Canada to live the rest of his life under a false identity.
But, no matter how far he goes, Alec cannot outrun Harrison, who pursues him through years and countries, only to catch up with him in a stunning conclusion to the story.
3.99
In Stock
5
1
Tears in the Dust
Tears in the Dust
Related collections and offers
3.99
In Stock
From the B&N Reads Blog