The Snow Pit

In Praise of Hasen: "A powerful, disturbing, unsettling piece of work . . ." -Irving Howe "Astonishing . . ." -San Francisco Chronicle "Haunting and exquisitely written." -Chicago Daily News "Both dramatic and poignant . . ." -Publishers Weekly Award-winning novelist Reuben Bercovitch brings us a portrait of a small-town Nebraska high school class of 1941, when the Second World War suddenly alters the course of their lives.

Ethan and Evelyn are sweethearts who are about to weather the ultimate test of love.

When their friend Kevin joins the Air Force and is killed in battle, Ethan's sense of honor forces him to enlist.

Meanwhile, an installation for training pilots comes to town and its commander takes a shine to Evelyn as well as to her mother.

Ethan becomes a rifleman and is wounded in Sicily. Evelyn has to wrestle with her own morality as well as her confusion and grief.

Friendships and family ties are stretched to the breaking point by the distance of war.

Beautifully written and peopled with perfectly drawn characters, The Snow Pit asks difficult questions about war and its complicated ethics, bravery, love, and commitment.

A cinematic, wide-ranging novel, it spans the globe, from a small midwestern town, to the ravaged coasts of Europe, and back again.