Small-Town

Small-Town

THE SURRY FAMILY--Helen R. Hull*--Macmillan ($2).

The sins of a small-minded, small-town father and mother visited upon children of inherited sensitivity, constitute no original motif. The stupid marriage and wry resignation of the son, the wary adventures in friendship and moderately happy marriage of the daughter, are not particularly gripping developments. The validity of such a story depends on the extent to which the author can invest mediocre personalities with, not alone human naturalness, but significant human naturalness. By that token, these Surrys are only soso; just small-town folks with no claims on reserved seats in the grandstand for famed literary characters. But Miss Hull is well worth reading; she gives pleasure. She is precise without being precious or pompous; vivid without being vivacious--or "vital." She is one of the clear-headed people of this verbose world who know the force of the unspoken word.

* Not to be confuse with E. M. ("Shiek") Hull.