Conquering Son

Conquering Son is a deeply moving tale of parental indifference, child abuse, adultery, and revenge. Harold Hawkins, age 12 in 1942, is sent to a military school where homoeroticism, shame, and toughness become troubling constants in his life. Southern Maryland and Harold’s family’s summer resort, much like Marthas Vineyard, serve as background for his sexual conflicts and obsessions. As an older man, events propel him toward a resolution of his failures involving a black girl he knew in 1947 and years of shyness, evasion, and torment. Closure arrives as Harold conquers the image of his remote and indiscreet father and overcomes his own cowardice. A loving woman accompanies Harold on his quest to set straight so much that had been bent into untoward journeys and distress. Ironically, what had to be done was indeed done, but did Harold Hawkins really conquer anything, and what did it all mean?