Melal: A Novel of the Pacific

On Good Friday, 1981, Rujen Keju and his two sons come face to face with their complicated inheritance -- one that includes years of atomic testing and the continued military presence of the U.S. in the Pacific. In this highly original work of history and adventure, novelist Robert Barclay weaves together characters and stories from mythological times with those of the present-day to give readers a rare and unsparing look at life in the contemporary Pacific.

"It is a good story with robust characters--some real and contemporary, others mythical and ancient--and an important book." --- Patricia Grace

"What separates this novel from others, even highly respected ones, is its extraordinary descriptive mastery.... This precise and vivid evocation of experience is what writing has been about from the beginning. In all respects, this is a superb book." --- Ian MacMillan, author of Village of a Million Spirits