James Salter is a novelist that I was totally unfamiliar with, until I read his most recent book. Salter is 88 years old, and “All That Is” is his first work in more than 30 years. Since I had never read anything by him previously, I am not sure if this newest book is typical of his writing or not. This is a beautifully written novel.
Beginning at the end of WWII, the novel loosely follows the life of Phillip Bowman for the next thirty years. Raised by his mother, Bowman goes back to college, Harvard, after the war. Not sure exactly what he wants to do, he eventually finds a job at a small, prestigious publishing house in New York City. He is successful, by most standards, but never achieves the wealth of those that he meets through his job. There are many women in his life, including Vivian who comes from a wealthy Virginia background. They are married for a brief time and divorce after drifting apart. The other women play important roles in his life, but for a variety of reasons, drift in and out.
This is not a plot-driven book. It is Salter’s writing that moves the main character through the major points in his life. His writing is so good that words are not wasted. He packs more into one paragraph than some authors need an entire chapter to develop. The plot development is such that we don’t follow Phillip’s life from year to year. There are only some historical marks that let the reader know what year it is. Salter often begins explaining something about one character and then connects that character to someone else and dwells on that second character. It all flows so effortlessly. The rhythm and voice of the author are apparent on every page. I will have to go back and read other works by James Salter.