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The Swallow and the Hummingbird
George Bolton, the only man Rita ever truly loved, returns from war a changed man. The death of his friends and his own survival weigh heavy on the fighter pilot who is haunted by sordid visions of the war. He wants to marry Rita who has waited patiently for him for years, only to find that his inner discord comes in the way of the relationship. He leaves Frognal Point and all memories to begin life afresh in Argentina where he meets Susan on whose beautiful face runs an ugly scar that makes people snigger and recoil. Destiny brings them together and they get married. Rita is devastated and never can get a grip on life. At this point the narrative quickens, taking the characters to their nemesis, so to speak. Destiny plays a role again with the death of George’s father, forcing him to return with his family to Frognal Point where the past begins to haunt him all over again. The distance of 18 years that he had put between himself and his hometown can’t fight his demons which never cease to plague him. Tormented by memories of Rita, he finds himself falling in love with her again. Max is suffocated by the love he has always felt for Rita but has never had the courage to express. He leaves town and becomes successful but when he does profess his feelings to her, she turns him down for she believes she still belongs to George. Wallowing in self pity for what could have been hers, she loses Max, the only friend she ever had. Alone and dejected, she seeks solace in the past and is unwilling to let it go. There are no swallows or hummingbirds in this book but the title seems to refer to a symbolic reference made by Megalith, a much-loved old psychic, to Rita. She narrates a story of how two birds were wounded and while one was determined to soar in the skies again, the other simply wanted to be left alone to face a bleak future. She leaves it to Rita to choose which one she would rather be. |
THE
Swallow and the Hummingbird reads
like a regular lost-love-found-and-lost-again story but is different in
that it reinforces the belief that one must face adversities and move on
with life. Those who can, sail, while the dejected tire themselves out
fighting the current.