Leo Markin, the protagonist of Merullo's beautifully realized first novel, is an ex-Marine tortured by his memories of the war in Vietnam. This conflict shook his faith in Catholicism and his trust in the military--which had been another kind of religion for him. It likewise made him question the canons of his Boston childhood--the ideals of Manhood, Family and Patriotism. We find him first very far from Boston on...
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