Old School
The narrator mimics the bearing and manners of his adoptive tribe at his New England prep school while concealing as much as possible about himself. The school's mystique is rooted in literature, and the narrator competes with many other boys for the attention of visiting writers whose fame helps to perpetuate the tradition. Robert Frost, soon to appear at JFK's inauguration, is far less controversial than the next visitor, Ayn Rand. But the final guest is one whose blessing a young writer would do almost anything to gain. This is Wolff's first novel. (Jacket flap copy)