Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-03
Does Not Quite JeII


THE NINTH WAVE, by
Eugene Burdick (Houghton-
Miffiin; $685. is a first novel
by a young man who attended
Stanford University. was a
Rhodes scholar, served as a
gunnery officer aboard a de-
stroyer in the war and now
teaches political theory at the
University of California.
Since this novel won a
Houghton Mifflin Literary Fell
lowship and is the Book of
the-Month Club selection for
June, it rates more than pass
ing attention.
Vivid Phrasing
1.-THE Ninth Wave is written
with immense energy, a flair
for vivid phrasing and unusual
skill in construction. But a
novel is more than that. I
wish I could go on and say this
is a first-rate or at least a
superior first novel, for it is
no pleasure to tear down a
piece of work on which a tall
ented writer has spent years.
The trouble with 1.-THE Ninth
Wave" is Observation-Disclosures
ton. There is a vagueness
and an artificiality about all
the characters. especially Mike
Freesmith, who dominates the
book. This gives what pre-
Sumably was intended to be a
vigorous. down-to-earth mar
rative a constant air of unre-
atty. a feeling that you are
looking at so many specimens
rather than at human beings.
1t is hard to believe in Mike
or even to care what happens
to him. for he not only is not
credible but without sympa-
thetic traits.
When we meet Mike he is
a high school senior in Los
Angeles. the bored recipient
of the favors Of a young woman
who teaches English. His
teacher does persuade him to
go to college and, with his
closest friend, Hank, he goes
to Stanford. Mike becomes a
lawyer, Hank a doctor.
without ScrupIes
Mike is presented as a
strong. fearless. ruthless youth
who has a passion for wanting
to know what makes people
the way they are. He is with
out tact or scruples. He is
drawn to politics, not to seek
office but to manipulate and
control. He does this through
his sloyenly older law partner,
John Cromwell, who has a
magic gift of oratory. Mike
persuades Cromwell to run for
Governor.
We are told that Mike can
make men of power and in
f1uence do what he wants.
How he does it we are left to
guess, beyond the vague state
ment that Mike is absolutely
sure of himself and so controls
others. since most people grope
in uncertainty. We never see
clearly into Mikes mind
what he really seeks, what
motivates him. His friend
Hank more nearly comes to
life.
Incredible
Mike marries a coed. It is
a mystery how she could en-
dure him after he called a poor
DRINKS bluff, drove him to the
Golden Gate Bridge and calm
ly watched him make good his
threat and jump to his death.
When Mike returns from the
war. his wife Connie simply
drops out of the story, though
he is still married to her and
they have children" who are
not identified by age or sex.
Mike hasn't any time for her
now, and he takes up with a
girl whose father wants to
finance Cromwell's campaign.
The tragedy with which the
story closes is the most incred-
ible episode Of all.
The vulgar frankness with
which the various sex affairs
in Mixes young life are de-
scribed probably will shock
only the occasional reader OF
presentday novels; the con-
slant reader undoubtedly has
become shock-proof. There
is no love in the novel.