The Widow's Daughter
In Edlin's fantastic debut, Peter Sokol is a WWII veteran living quietly as a painter in San Diego with his long-term girlfriend Missy, when he learns that his old army friend Anthony Sturgis has written a book about his experience in the Third Medical Battalion in New Zealand. Sturgis's book, however, focuses largely on Peter. With Missy's prodding, Peter agrees to travel to UCLA to attend Sturgis' book launch. As he drives up the coast, he recalls the events of the war. Shortly after arriving at the Victoria Park camp in Auckland where Sokol served as an orthopedic surgeon, he meets and falls in love with Emily Walters, a mysterious young Englishwoman. Unfortunately, one of Sokol's rivals from his Stanford Medical School days is also stationed at Victoria Park, and falls for Emily as well. Emily ultimately chooses Peter and they marry in secret, though their relationship becomes strained just a few weeks later, and Emily's mother tells Peter to stay away for a spell. He takes the news badly and drinks until he blacks out. The next morning, Emily's boisterous, troubled brother is found dead, and Peter is the prime suspect, due to a previous altercation with the man and no credible alibi. As he fights to prove his innocence, Peter learns the dark secrets behind Emily's strange family.
This is a remarkable story of a man struggling to free his present from a troubled past. (Apr.)
Reviewed on: 03/26/2012
And over at Good Reads:
The Widow's Daughter: A Novel by Nicholas Edlin
A spellbinding story of love, war, and betrayal.
Peter Sokol, an artist living in San Diego, is haunted by his past. In 1943, Captain Sokol is a surgeon in the U.S. Marines stationed in Auckland, New Zealand, where he and his longtime nemesis have fallen in love with the same beautiful and enigmatic woman, Emily Walters. Dismissive of Emily's suspiciously British mot...more
And link here to read Nicky Pellegrino's review when the book was published in NZ in 2010.
About Nick Edlin:
1. THE WIDOW'S DAUGHTER is a love story set inAuckland US Marine doctor. How did you click into something that happened 40 years before you were born?
I lived in the area where the majority of theAuckland scenes are set, so it was just a matter of re-imagining a familiar place. As for the scenario, the key was making the Americans seem modern in what was a very isolated, conservative place. America had invented so much popular culture by that time, and all of the G.I.s who came to New Zealand would have been well versed in it. I liked the idea of putting these people in what must have seemed like a distant outpost.
2. Prostitution, fascist cells, drugs . . . wasAuckland really the frontier town that you depict?
There is a good deal of invention in the book, but I think it’s fair to say that wherever you have large gatherings of troops, a frontier atmosphere is likely to follow. And I think that war in general develops frontier situations, where people, through necessity, are on the move, carrying their histories and cultural baggage with them across the world. The ‘English’ family in the book are an example of this.
3. The romantic element is very strong, and highly eroticised. How did you manage to get this right?
The romantic aspect to the story is charged by the impossibility of the situation. I think that this is a central feature of war romances – the sense that people are having these intense experiences on borrowed time.
4. The novel has also been snapped up by Penguin inNew York . Can we expect the movie?
The scenario certainly has cinematic possibilities, but it’s impossible to predict. I’ll wait and see.
5. You are living with your partner and working as a lawyer inLondon . What's that like?
Great. The theatre and music scenes are outstanding, and we’ve also made good use of the proximity toEurope . It’s an addictive lifestyle.
6. Can we expect another novel soon?
Peter Sokol, an artist living in San Diego, is haunted by his past. In 1943, Captain Sokol is a surgeon in the U.S. Marines stationed in Auckland, New Zealand, where he and his longtime nemesis have fallen in love with the same beautiful and enigmatic woman, Emily Walters. Dismissive of Emily's suspiciously British mot...more
And link here to read Nicky Pellegrino's review when the book was published in NZ in 2010.
About Nick Edlin:
Nicholas Edlin was born and raised in Christchurch, He has a BA in English and Politics from Canterbury University, and an LLB (First Class Honours) from Victoria University. He has worked as a solicitor in Wellington and Auckland, and as a legal adviser in London. He currently lives in Auckland with his wife Helen and works in employment law. He follows the Black Caps with unflagging optimism and likes nothing better than listening to jazz in small bars in the US and in Europe.
Q and A with
1. THE WIDOW'S DAUGHTER is a love story set in
I lived in the area where the majority of the
2. Prostitution, fascist cells, drugs . . . was
There is a good deal of invention in the book, but I think it’s fair to say that wherever you have large gatherings of troops, a frontier atmosphere is likely to follow. And I think that war in general develops frontier situations, where people, through necessity, are on the move, carrying their histories and cultural baggage with them across the world. The ‘English’ family in the book are an example of this.
3. The romantic element is very strong, and highly eroticised. How did you manage to get this right?
The romantic aspect to the story is charged by the impossibility of the situation. I think that this is a central feature of war romances – the sense that people are having these intense experiences on borrowed time.
4. The novel has also been snapped up by Penguin in
The scenario certainly has cinematic possibilities, but it’s impossible to predict. I’ll wait and see.
5. You are living with your partner and working as a lawyer in
Great. The theatre and music scenes are outstanding, and we’ve also made good use of the proximity to
6. Can we expect another novel soon?
Maybe.
And the photo below is of Nick Edlin and wife Helen being married in Central Park 2011
