The Lonely
$ 12.00
Author: Paul Gallico
Publisher: Signet D2264
Year: 1963 Print: 3 Cover Price: $.50
Condition: Book Grades. Very Good Plus. Not read
Genre: Fiction/War/Romance/Coming of Age
Pages: 126
70126119E
The story follows Lieutenant Jerry Wright, a 23-year-old American bomber pilot stationed at an airbase in England. Raised in a wealthy, privileged Long Island household, Jerry is young, somewhat naive, and dealing with intense homesickness and the psychological strain of combat ("battle fatigue").
When Jerry is grounded for a two-week furlough, he decides to travel to Scotland. He invites Patches, a spirited and compassionate officer from the British Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), to accompany him.
Amidst the fairytale, quiet backdrop of the Scottish countryside—far away from the chaos and horrors of the war—the two lonely souls deeply connect. They quickly fall in love, finding true emotional solace and completion in one another.
However, Jerry faces a severe moral crisis: he is already engaged to his childhood sweetheart back home in America. He finds himself intensely torn between his strict upbringing, duty to his fiancée, and his profound, real feelings for Patches. The book chronicles his emotional turmoil as he grows from a sheltered boy into a man who must decide what true loyalty and love look like.
