The Hermit King

Set in the deep south near the end of WWII, this novel could be interpreted as a coming of age novel not only for its young characters Billy and Hallie, but for a whole region facing post-war Civil Rights demands and the worries and stress of a post-nuclear, post-Holocaust society. Accordingly, Cobb’s moods in this novel alternate between sweet innocence as we watch Hallie and Billy con the local junk dealer, to mythic tragedy as we listen to Joe, a man of color who has self-exiled across the river from a racist Southern town, reminisce over his past life and philosophize over his and everyone’s present life.