New-York tribune., 1920-09-26
One After Another
Stacy Au1nonier Has Writ
ten Exceptional Novel
rTH old-fsshioned reader who 4,

rT He old-fashioned reader who An
sists on g we'll knit, completely
developed plot will be impatient
Of Stacy Aumonier's One After An
other (Macmillan), but the reader who
cares little for the observance Of the
conventions Of fiction will fnd this new
novel an unusually fine piece Of work
act masterpiece, perhaps, but seri-
GUS story that shows up most of the
contemporary popular output 40 80
much literary machinery.
One After Another 10 the autobiog-
Faphy of Tom Purbecks who, as come
would have it, is the average young
man. In little, episode, but not discon-
neeted, chapters, his life from boyhood
to late middle age Is revealed. At the
close Of the book Tom discovers
meaning for it all-the philosophy of
suffering.
II have failed" he explains, "because
I havs sought satisfaction rather than
surprises. A shock Ia more valuable
than a palliative. When you begin to
find yourself settling down. then Is
the time TO get really angry with your
self and to hurl brick through your
neighbor's window. Seven days In jail
would do you no end Of good. You
have always got to keep on tho move
and to remember that life itself is only
a temporary arrangement. So you
know that there is a Science Of Suffer-
ing?"
And SO ON. Probably this is Mr. Au-
monier's message. But we were too
much fascinated by his story to pay
huch attention to the sermon involved.
We should rather read Mr. Aumonier's
book than rush out into the street and
pitch a paving block through the win
dows Of the boarding house next door
1t seems bit silly to try consciously
to suffer. And, anyhow, our control
with bricks never was very good.
The most interesting feature Of One
After Another is the fashion in which
MY. Aumonier manages to create drama
without indulging in the dramatic. The
sordid affair which eliminated in the
casting out Of Toms Spanish mother
by TOMS ultra-British father ia limited
at. We know the framework of the
story; our imagination is permitted to
supply the rest. The tempestuous
| careers Of Laura, Toms sister, violin
list, who descends from artistry to mere
gallery playing, comes to US in quick
flashes. 1t is not "plotted" in the
manner Of the movies. The gradual de-
cline Of the gifted young amateur into
the drug addicted maTchioness is told
with pitiless elearness; 1t Is told so
we'll, in fact, that it seems like no story
at all-which, we think, 10 q compliment
to the author. Toms one lapse from
marital fidelity eliminates suddenly
! perhaps little mechanically But
the matter is never again referred to
| by Toms wife; and Anna. the stenog-
rapher, with whom Tom was involved,
drops out Of his life. Properly speak
ing, she should have turned up years
later, threatening blackmail. The old
fashioned reader will say that Mr..
Aumenier knows nothing of life. Laura,
divorced by her Grst husband, marries
foreign nobleman--who is pleasant,
hard-workjng young scientist. He
should have been q heartless rou@,
means the old-fashioned reader.
Throughout, we are always on the
verge Of story-book events, as we are
in life. But they rarely, if ever, hap
pen. And Mr.. Aumonier, like q skilled
sketch artist. tells IS much by the lines
that he omits as by the things that he
puts to paper.