CLASH. By Ellen Wilkinson, M.P. (Harrap. 75. 6d.) —There are
two distinct conflicts in this very clever and successful first novel. There is, to begin with, political warfare. Joan Craig, the attractive daughter of a Northern factory operative, becomes a Trade Union organizer, and Miss Wilkinson, in describing her heroine's experiences, takes us behind the scenes and shows us the General Strike of 1926 as she herself probably saw it. Then there is the rivalry between Joan's two suitors—Anthony Dacre, the husband of a highbrow Bloomsbury novelist, and Captain Gerald Blain, who was mutilated during the War. Anthony is attracted to Socialism because of his passion for Joan, while Gerald loves Joan because of his sincere passion for Socialism. We will not reveal the climax. Suffice it to say that Miss Wilkinson adroitly avoids the obvious pitfalls. The political and love interests are admirably fused ; her characters, irrespective of Party, are real human beings ; and, while she does not hide her own convictions, she appreciates her opponents' point of view and shows a welcome recognition of the fact that the millennium cannot be attained by class hatred and mere agitation.
Previous page
