After service in Korea, Barney Cousins somehow didn't fit into things when he returned to his brother's house and business. There was an itch for independence, an urge to free himself from the old routine of scheduled activity. There was a drive to get moving to broaden experience. There were some wild oats to sow.
Barney's brother, Sam, solid, stolid, and upright, looked with bafflement at Barney's unwillingness to settle down. And when Barney began to consort with Sabra--a divorcee, mother of two children--Sam's conviction that one must live by accepted rules became more firm, then ever. But there was something compulsive about Barney's behavior--and something star-crossed about his relationship with the beautiful Sabra.
Around this basic situation, Eleanor Mayo builds a tense compelling novel full of striking personalities, and dramatic developments.
Eleanor Mayo (1920-1981) was an American novelist, photographer, and public servant active in the mid twentieth century. She was raised in Southwest Harbor, Maine and spent most of her life on Mount Desert Island. She was the life companion of the well-known Maine novelist Ruth Moore. Mayo published five novels during her life and a posthumously issued short story collection. Mayo's novel Turn Home was made into the 1950 film Tarnished. Mayo was active in local politics holding several elected positions in Tremont, Maine. She was elected the town's first female selectman and later served many years as the town's tax assessor.