Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 8, 1995                   TAG: 9510070013
SECTION: BOOKS                    PAGE: F-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY LYNN ECKMAN
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MAKING FICTION TRUER THAN FACT IN RUBIN'S "THE HEAT OF THE SUN"

Louis Rubin, former editor of this book page, professor at Hollins College and founder of Algonquin Books, has written a fine novel that will add luster to his already enviable reputation.

Set in Charleston, S.C., 1940, "The Heat of the Sun" is rich in characters, in plot, in local color and in literary references. With admirable skill, Rubin tells of young love, the shenanigans of a newly hired dean of the college of Charleston, and a businessman's ruthless pursuit of wealth and social status. He also manages to include a great deal about sailing, turtles, a hurricane and Civil War history - an incredible feat.

Mike Quinn, the young protagonist who is a recent graduate of Washington and Lee, has left his hometown of Roanoke, Va., to become a fledgling journalist. (The frequent references to Roanoke, all accurate in every detail, will add to the book's appeal in this area.) Mike is the link who ties together the various people of town and gown. The tale of his growing up is both amusing and touching.

Having taught at Johns Hopkins, Hollins and most recently at the University of North Carolina, Rubin knows academe thoroughly: the dedication of excellent teachers, the snobbery and jealousy among departments, the emphasis on publication, the sometimes hilarious faculty meetings. I found his portrayal of these machinations superior to those in Jane Smiley's novel "Moo," and far more believable.

All of these devices, plots and subplots, drawn with consummate skill, do not detract from the main story. On the contrary, they enhance it, making it truer than mere fact, which is the beauty of good fiction.

"The Heat of the Sun" provides an engrossing visit to the past. With warmth, wit and wisdom, the author writes of a time we are inclined to think of as more innocent. Upon reflection, however, it is evident that all these events are pertinent to our own time, to our lives. Louis D. Rubin Jr. is a Renaissance man, in short - a marvel, and this is a book to keep, to reread and to cherish.

Lynn Eckman recently retired from Roanoke College.