The Man Around The Corner

This is the revised and second edition of The Man Around The Corner. After the Empire of Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, America's naval base at Oahu, Hawaii, in December 1941, a young man, Curtis Ward, immediately enlists in the United States Marine Corps. He leaves his small Pennsylvania town and ships out for basic training. His girlfriend, Mary Mullen, having a history of abuse, embarks on a plan devised by her mother, Deloris: to marry into the wealthy Franklin family for their money, then leave. However, Deloris's plan turns into a nightmare for her daughter. Mary Mullen finds herself imprisoned in the Franklin nuthouse. Now having an abusive husband and father-in-law, Mary seeks a way out as her boyfriend Curtis Ward fights in the brutal Pacific Theater of World War II.

The book's earlier chapters satirize love, romance, and debauchery in small-town life, set against the horrendous conditions of battle in the Pacific jungles. While Curtis fights for his country in horrific places, his hometown friends write him letters saying that Mary is running around with several men.

After Curtis distinguishes himself in battle, he meets a spirited young nurse, Sarah Betts, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The fireworks begin, and Curtis learns what true love means for the first time in his life. However, is it feasible for him to fall in love with a woman on the opposite side of the world?

With a blend of humor and sentimentality, this casual storytelling flows smoothly. The book keeps shifting between Curtis's days with Sarah and the goings-on in his small town, and more so as Mary Mullen's problems intensify.

After realizing how much he loves Sarah and how much she loves him, Curtis is ordered to embark on a bond tour back to the other side of the world, the United States. That leaves Curtis in a dilemma: is it proper, or even civil, to ask her to leave her family, job, and even her country to join him, or to leave her behind, probably never to see her again?

 After a spectacular bond tour, Curtis, a changed man, eventually returns to his hometown to settle down. There, he discovers surprises awaiting him. 

A complex story, even thrilling at times, the book The Man Around The Corner centers on human interest and culminates in themes of love, forgiveness, and redemption.