Prisoners of War

World War II veteran Marty Stark returns home to a Mississippi community that's discovered an abundant source of cheap labor to help harvest its cotton crop: German POWs. Marty, still reeling from his experiences overseas, is assigned to guard these work crews, which include a prisoner who's not what he seems. Dan Timms, disregarding the profound changes in his best friend Marty,...more

World War II veteran Marty Stark returns home to a Mississippi community that's discovered an abundant source of cheap labor to help harvest its cotton crop: German POWs. Marty, still reeling from his experiences overseas, is assigned to guard these work crews, which include a prisoner who's not what he seems. Dan Timms, disregarding the profound changes in his best friend Marty, can't wait to sign up and go to war to get away from his drunken mother, his profiteering uncle and the memory of his father's suicide. Author Steve Yarbrough handily juggles a huge cast for such a modestly sized novel, tho he eschews the gothic grotesque that characterizes much Southern fiction. Yarbrough follows a quieter route, avoiding grand statements on race relations and greed and war. He remains hidden behind the curtain, letting his story and characters and laid-back prose do the talking for him. Some of the dialog can be a little too snappily cinematic, but generally the book stays grounded in common but nonetheless interesting reality. Yarbrough's writing is much like his characters, presenting a placid, soft-spoken front that masks turbulence beneath. A Jon and His Ma Book Club selection.   hide