The Return of the Soldier

When Captain Chris Baldry, a World War I soldier, is sent home on leave with a severe case of shellshock amnesia, he is a stranger to his wife, Kitty, and his adoring cousin, Jenny. His mind, recoiling from the horrors of war and disillusioned with years of superficial married life, has now regressed into the past; conveniently forgetting the last 15 years of his adult life, Chris thus allows his heart to take refuge once again in the "magic circle" of his youth and of his first love, Margaret allington.

In this lyrical and poignant story of a wounded man and the three concerned women who seek to heal him, Rebecca West explores the complexity of the mind and its subtle strategies for coping with life's painful realities. Chris Baldry's cure depends upon the revelation and remembrance of one pivotal and heart-breaking event in his married life; only when he has the courage to face this truth anew will he be able to awaken from his boyish fantasy and become, indeed, "every inch...