Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509010034
SECTION: BOOK PAGE: F-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY MARY ANN JOHNSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This novel will be of particular interest to Timesland readers who have an affinity for Charlottesville. Dan Meador is professor emeritus at the University of Virginia School of Law and a very popular campus figure. His probing mind and gracious demeanor are evident in his writing and make his book a genteel novel of lasting impression.
"His Father's House" offers abundant romance, intrigue, history, travel, religion, politics and law. It begins when the main character, Robert Kirkman, sorts through his deceased father's World War I mementos and finds a photograph and a letter taken from a dying German soldier. Rob, at a turning point in his own life, embarks on a journey into the past that takes him to both West and then East Germany.
In the happenings that follow, the division of Germany and ultimate reunification serve as metaphor for evolving human relationships, while blindness and sight serve as metaphor for unveilings and revelation. Family ties prove strong, and history is more than mere coincidence. Rob's efforts are marked by "historical curiosity that was intense," and the words and actions of other characters reflect a compelling interest in the works Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Descriptive detail provides a rich sense of place in the settings of Alabama, Virginia and Germany.
Meador is regarded as an exceptional teacher, one whose lessons go beyond law and whose influence reaches beyond the classroom. His novel is evidence of the breadth of his touch. "His Father's House" evokes the kinship that exists among people despite the differences accentuated by war, by time, and by place.
Mary Ann Johnson teaches at Roanoke College.
by CNB