In this novel set over the course of a day, an alcoholic, Canadian, World War I veteran attempts to find peace while shopping for a birthday present.
Twenty-five years after the Great War, John Maclean is still struggling to carve out a meaningful existence in his small New Brunswick hometown.
One late summer day he embarks on a seemingly prosaic search for a little money, a little booze, and a birthday gift for his mother. But he's haunted by memories-of war, of his cruel father, of opportunities wasted and lost-and each moment is shadowed by his bleak history. Shell-shocked and alcoholic, Maclean is divided between a lonely present and a violent past.
With clean and evocative prose, author Allan Donaldson exquisitely depicts a shattered war veteran's search for peace.
Praise for Maclean
"Slim yet encompassing, tender yet merciless ... This book merits a media flurry." - Globe and Mail (Canada)