back - henry green
The book was published in 1946 and has 218 pages. To be blunt, I hated this book. It was a chore to read. I can't see how it could be on anyone's must-read list although Anthony Burgess and John Updike loved him.
The story is about Charley Summers who comes home after spending a couple years in a German prison camp and losing a leg and his having to deal with the loss of his lover Rose. He has delusions, one of which is Rose's half-sister Nancy is Rose (even though he visits Rose's grave as soon as he gets off the bus. The delusions grow stronger and his hold of reality weaker.
Here's my problems with the book. I found the writing confusing in places. I had to go back and reread it just to make sure I was understanding it. I did not sympathize with the main character (and the thing is I wanted to). The supporting characters seemed 2 dimensional with the exception of Nancy. And I found it too unbelievable for me to accept. And by the time I got to the ending all I could think of was "Really?".
I'm sure there are people who will enjoy this book but I did not. If I was giving it a 1-5 rating I would have to give it a 1 (barely).