local communities – to the extent that he could openly conduct his relationship with a white woman, without fear of reprisal. He felt more free as a soldier in wartime than he does in his own hometown in ‘peacetime.’   

Jamie McAllan is warmly welcomed by his brother Henry, and by Laura, but is soon derided by his father, Pappy McAllan. Pappy ridicules Jamie for conducting his wartime kills from a distance – never looking in the eyes of his victims, unlike Pappy. Experiencing PTSD, Jamie is drawn to fellow veteran Ronsel, and the two take comfort in a newly formed friendship – recounting their wartime experiences, and lamenting the state of the racist society in which they both live. This bond of solidarity stands in contrast to the relationship between Laura and Florence, and the...

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