The New York herald., 1922-05-28
HOAX. BY Anonymous. George H.
Doran Company.

anonymity and in his title.
The book is intentionally enigmatic,
and one suspects the writer Of SUBJ
terfuge beyond his confession. The
story purports to be the vision of a
very modern young man, as seen by
his middle aged father, an observer
from the point of view of the middle
fifties. But he is not wholly con-
vincing as a father, or as one past
the half century mark. Much of his
analysis of the young man rather
suggests autobiography; the critical
reflections of, let us guess, the late
thirties, instead of the more detached
appraisal of an elder. Not that that
matters greatly, and guesses may
easily go far of the mark. The more
important fact is that the book Is
persistently intriguing" altogether
an extraordinary performance,
though not wholly or unqualifiedly
a success.
Its chief drawback is that there is
q little too much of it, producing
something of strain. 1t is definitely
posed, and one feels that the model
is holding the difficult position a
little too long. He does hold it, but
one is bit relieved when the sitting
Is over and all hands, including the
reader, are allowed TO relax. The
thing is. after all. tour de force;
its point could have been made more
effective in two-thirds or less of its
length.
The story deals with the love af-
fairs or philanderings of a peculiarly
self-centered young man: outwardly
unusual, yet possibly not so much
so as might at first be thought.
Eugene's vacillationsy and half comic,
half tragic uncertainties and eccen-
tricities are not unique or really
bizarre experiences. 1t may be that
many, if not most, young folk are
more nearly capable of Eugene's
antics than they are of the tradi-
tional grand passion or the single
minded romantic devotion of the
stock variety of sentimental love
stories. Eugene is simply a little
more clear-headed than most young
sters, and certainly more frank in
his actions.
Eugene himself perpetrated
novel, which serves as the climax of
the story in hand. Maybe this is it.
Indeed, he almost tells us SO. His
novel was to be built of his own
peculiar experiences with the three
ladies' in question. and Eugene
tells US:
After I got deep into the work
/ saw the possibilities, but 1 never
forgot the farce of it. 1 was TAX
ing a part of myself seriously
enough, but the rest of me was a
joke, and the story was huge
hoax, a tremendous hoax-the
greater hoax because of its near
ness to truth. 1t had not occurred
to my mind until few days ago
that it might be serious.
And the author, in his proper
person, remarks in his .foreword, af-
ter expressly disclaiming any exact
portraiture, that 'ne wants to go
back home some time" to the Dan
vile of his story, the Community
which knew him vaguely in his
earlier youth" If ne does, he may
no doubt expect warm welcome,
for lis portrayal of Danville is a
very living affair. too much so to be
fiattering to local pride and preju-
dice.
Indeed. this background of the
story is one of its finest elements: a
small masterpiece of stage setting,
never intrusive but always suffi-
ciently there. 1t is obviously drawn
from the living model, and drawn
far more subtly and understandingly
than are the New York, Greenwich
Village and newspaper office scenes,
which are no more tEan average
good, being the impressions of an
observer more or less from the in
side but not wholly at home, whereas