cover image NEVER FADE AWAY

NEVER FADE AWAY

William Hart, . . Fithian, $12.95 (208pp) ISBN 978-1-56474-386-2

Hart puts an unusual spin on the relationship between student and teacher in this promising debut novel, which begins when a Vietnamese student named Tina Le signs up for an ESL language course taught by disgruntled, deeply damaged Vietnam vet John Goddard at a California state college. Goddard is totally immersed in publishing his own collection of war stories as the course starts, but slowly he turns his attention to Tina's gifts when she pens a graceful, heartfelt story based on the suffering of her family back in her homeland. His attempts to develop her talent and that of the other students is hindered by the bureaucratic agenda of Goddard's boss, an authoritarian administrator whose primary goal seems to be keeping most of the minority student population from passing the ESL courses. Push comes to shove when the rebellious Goddard challenges the administrator and gets himself fired, setting up a contentious hearing that takes place as teacher and student edge closer to a romantic relationship. Hart finds a nice prose rhythm as he shifts back and forth between Goddard and his student, and he avoids the obvious clichés as he explores the nuances of their relationship and the inherent inequities of the academic system that brings them together. But the author seems so intent on pushing his story forward that he misses numerous opportunities to delve deeper into his characters' motivations and add atmospheric details that would have made this a deeper, richer book. Still, this is a solidly impressive debut by a writer worth watching. (Mar.)