The good son: A novel

âThe Good Son is the work of an artist in full command, and those of you entering it for the first time can only be envied.â âFrom the foreword by Jonathan Yardley

Chip Mackinnon returns from World War II a changed man. After being shot down over the desert and imprisoned by the enemy, the world of privilege to which he belongs seems shallow. But in the shadow of his older brotherâs death, the full weight of his fatherâs expectations falls on Chip. Pop Mackinnonâwhose money is new but just as good as anyone elseâsâhas designs on the upper echelons of society. The polo ponies and expensive education he bought for his son werenât gifts; they were an investment in the familyâs future. Now itâs time for Chip to pay him back by marrying a girl who can finally bring the Mackinnons into societyâs inner circle.

A shrewd and cunning man, Pop is used to getting his wayâuntil the arrival of Jean Cooper, that is. This Midwestern beauty awakens Chipâs passions, and the two embark on an affair that threatens to destroy Popâs social-climbing plans. A battle of wills between father and son ensues, one that tests the boundaries of their relationship and strays into the place where love turns irrevocably to hate.

Originally published in 1982 to wide acclaim, The Good Son remains Craig Novaâs undisputed masterpiece. This classic of contemporary American literature artfully explores the complicated web of emotions that exists between fathers and sonsâambition, jealousy, loyalty, loveâin a tale that compels with its simple, searing honesty.




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