A 65-year Roger Damon receives an anonymous call at night. The unknown caller is threatening him insisting on a meeting. Roger ignores the meeting, though his life is changed forever: he gets back to his memories, recalls his losses and victories, friends he once had, women he once loved, stupid things he once did and what his whole life is worth now. Slowly he's going through these ghosts of the past realizing that the threatener, whoever he might be, can easily put an end to all this.What I adore Irwin Shaw's books for is their simplicity at first sight but very deep meaning once you get into them; beautifully written characters and perfectly circumscribed personalities, most of all though for the unobtrusive push to think and compile your own view on the subjects, topics, events and particular heroes. Hence in the book you won't even know who was the anonymous caller and that is Shaw, he'd never give you his interpretation :) You just have to decide for yourself who might've been the threatener (or perhaps Roger's dreamt of all that?) and live Roger's life with him, from the beginning to 'nowadays', taste his best most remarkable moments, weigh up his actions, share his dreams and at the same time try all that on your very own self.The book was somehow similar to "Lucy Crown" with its subtle psychology, personal drama and the freaking feeling of reality.
