Evening star., 1948-07-11
lanes N. Gain
Sails Toward
.ANewHorizon
THE MOTH
THE MOTH
BY James M. Cain. (Knopt; So
Reviewed by

Reviewed by
CARTER BROOKE JONES.
Those who have catalogued
Mr.. Cain as a writer of. tough
prose concerned mostly with
violence and abnormality will
have to revise their file.
His new novel is well-rounded
account of normal, likable, decent
man from boyhood into maturity.
The narrative is not without sex and
fights, but these elements are Incl
dental and not too important. "The
Moth" lacks the sensational qualities
of Mr.. Gains previous novels, eut IL
probably is his best book.
Jack Dillon tells his own story,
beginning with his early recolec-
tions of the Baltimore household, OF
his father and two doting aunts.
The family was from the north OF
Ireland and the father had not come
over until he finished his law course
at Dublin University. Jacks mother
had left his father before he could
remember, for reasons never entirely
clear to him.
Jack was a boy soprano with a
remarkable voice. He sang at the
Episcopal Church and elsewhere,
even at theaters for a good price.
But his angelic face was deceptive;
he was a hard d-muscled lad who could
lick any one brash enough to tackle
him. Then his voice changed and
his interest turned from music to
football, at which he proved equally
proficient. He finished high school
and went to college.
BY the time he won bachelor
of science degree. the depression
had come and there were not many
Jobs for young fellows. Then there
was a terrible row with his father.
Jack was falsely accused OF dong
something he'd never have done.
The youth left home, driving south
in the car the old man had given
him. But there were no jobs for a
skilled mechanic or for a muscular
kid willing to do anything. JACK
sank deeper into the depression.
He sold the car, and the day came
when he didn't have dime. HIS
fierce pride kept him from appeal
ing to his family.
Jack became a hobo, almost a
bum-there is distinction-and ne
fell in with two others whose 1nf1u-
ence was not entirely a blessing
To recount his further adventures
would be to deprive you OF suspense
and spoil some exciting pages. 1t
should be enough to say that ne
was up and down and got In some
pretty serious jams. There was q
paudy interlude when he managed
a string of oil wells in California
for the owner, an attractive young
woman. But there were greater eX-
periences to come.
With this book Mr.. Cain will have
to be weighed as novelist OF broad
er scope and more serious purpose
than his earlier books may nave
indicated. While his work on the
larger canvas is not without blem-
fishes. 1t is successful enough to
show he can break away from the
hard-boiled, more superficial type
of story with which he has been
identified. And 1.-THE Moth" ind1-
Gates even better things to come
Yet the tight suspense with which
most Of his other stories were writ
ten is an admirable trait, and here
in his effort to probe deeper into
character and to draw wider circle
he sometimes is repetitious, almost
earrulous. The technical descrlp-
lions of drilling an oil well. OF the
fire when it came in and the fight
to put it out no doubt are accurate
but it Is questionable whether SC
much detail will interest any but
oil men, and it slows up the mar
rative. In fact, at the end he ap-
pends a list of technical advisers
that looks like historians bib
biography. Perhaps it's the Holly
wood infiuence-credit lines tol
every one remotely concerned. After
all, though. overexactness is not
a major fault. For the most part
Jacks story Is absorbing.
To avoid any misrepresentation, ii
might be pointed out that The
Moth" has nothing whatever to dc
with THE Butterfly" the title Of
Mr.. Gains last novel, an unlm-
portant story of some hillbillies, with
e pseudo-incestuous theme. You
wouldn't think, if you didn't know
that the same author had written
both books. 1t just happens that
both are named for insects.
X X X
VINE OF GLORY
BY Mary Jackson King. (BobbS
Merrill, S3J
This novel is the story of Lavinia
Westwood, who grew up in small
Georgia town under a handicap
which had twisted her character
and almost wrecked her life. Hel
mother of great family, had
married the son of share
cropper. Lavinia's father, conscious
of his social and educational short
comings, turned to alcohol for solace
Her mothers money was dissipatec
and the Westwoods sank into pow
erty.
When her father died Lavinia hae
to leave school and go to work IN 6
store. She was snubbed by the young
social set. She hated her work ano
her employer. She spent her spare
time looking after her listless, un.
appreciative mother Her only friene
was "Old Lady" Berryhill, who wa'
wealthy and lived in a big house