Stories That Reveal
Friendship and Admiration
During and After World War II
Every person has mentors and people he or she has admired. In If You Stretch Far Enough You Can See the Bay Miles Burford tells the stories of the people he's admired and pays tribute to their courage and their charismatic personalities. The stories are based on real people and real events drawn from the author's life and people from vastly different sectors of society. Here are characters who must deal with problems in their lives: secrets, sexuality, disease, violence, confrontation, tolerance, and love during World War II and the postwar years.
"Old Arkansaw" depicts an endearing soldier with a honey voice and an irresistible disposition. His fellow soldiers are drawn to him and his optimistic personality, and he becomes a father figure to them. He's been both lucky and unlucky with women, and we meet him in the Venereal Disease ward of an army hospital, a ward he's visited many times. Here we witness the bonds of friendship between men during the war, and during their painful bouts with VD and the treatments for it, some of which bring the Army doctors under suspicion.
In "Benny Lozano" a young ex-Army pilot finds work with a veteran flight school operator whose business is predicted to pick up, but only with a loan from the new employee. Shady truths are eventually revealed, but the young pilot struggles to trust his boss. His efforts are rewarded, despite tragic consequences.
In the title story, "If You Stretch Far Enough You Can See the Bay," two men who admire each other tremendously are separated by the war but continue their friendship from afar, and through long periods without contact. Both men struggle to adjust to life after the war, and one comes to terms with his sexuality.
"Sergeant Loman" tells the story of a kind and unassuming non-com who confronts a barracks bully half his age. They fight it out in the first few months of World War II.
In If You Stretch Far Enough You Can See the Bay Miles Burford delves into the dark truths of human nature. The characters and their stories are presented candidly and honestly, and we are privy to secrets and information that the characters themselves may not yet know. We're charmed by the people we meet here though, even if the circumstances they're in during this early part of the war are less than ideal. |
