THE COMFORTER,  by Dorothy M. Bryant; originally
published by Bench Press,  Berkeley, California.  Now
published by Random House under the title of The Kin
of Ata Are Waiting for You.
      The Psalmist confidently declares, "If I make my bed
in hell,  behold, thou art there."  A comforting idea, yes;
but how many of us believe it?
      How  many  of us  actually  believe that our acts—no
matter how divorced from good—can be forgiven? How
many of  us can see the essence  of love  in  the vilest of
passions? Few, to be sure. When we are confronted with
such   ultimate   questions,   most   of   us   can  feel  our
"enlightened"  attitudes  giving  way  to  an irreconcilable
dualism.
      Dorothy M. Bryant  has  created  a  remarkable novel
about  such questions.  Its title, The Comforter, suggests
a   religious   theme.   And   perhaps   it   is,   in   essence.
However,  the reader soon discovers that the title, rather
than  being  descriptive   of   the  book's  contents,  is  an
adequate  description  of  its  proposed  effect  upon  the
reader.  In my opinion,  the book more than deserves the
title.

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