Never on these Shores

Stephen R. Pastore
Cohort Press (2007)
ISBN 0977719626
Reviewed by John Cartwright for Reader Views (5/07)

“Never on These Shores” by Stephen R. Pastore is one of those rare novels that come along these days that readers will find difficult to put down, either literally or figuratively. It has a “what if” premise that many of us thought about in history class: what if the Germans, Japanese and Italians invaded the U.S.? In the smugness of the Cold War, we were taught that such an invasion was impossible because the Axis Powers would have no “soft spot” to attack. Well, Pastore has solved this problem and fortunately we won before his idea got into the wrong hands. The Japanese land in Canada which has surrendered along with France and Britain, the Germans have allied themselves with Mexico (by force) and the Italians are in Cuba, all en masse. And all this happens before page 1!

If anyone can start this book and put it down, they’re a better man or woman “than I am Gunga Din.” This book is no soporific for insomniacs. In the tradition of such books as “The Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance,” the action spans the American continent where Pastore has left the meek and humble (women, old men and gays and blacks) to defend the homeland against the pernicious onslaught of the Nazis and their allies. The American forces are stranded overseas after Hitler decides not to invade Russia and Great Britain falls. This is more than plausible; it was only a hair’s breath away and if you don’t believe it, read this book. Meager attempts at WWII “what ifs” have been written before, most notably “Harris’s Fatherland,” but nothing so grand in scope and so eminently believable. Pastore somehow manages to take the reader not only inside the fear-filled residences of New York City and Miami Beach apartments, but into the cotton fields of Texas and the gay bars of San Francisco. The KKK becomes a willing collaborator with the Nazis led by Rommel and blacks and Jews are rounded up and sent to concentration camps. I don’t want to discuss any more of the plot for fear of giving too much away, but there is so much good writing in this book that one could spend hours talking about it at cocktail parties, cafes, and book clubs. What an immense joy it is to see such a book emerge from the pink dye-covered novels that are the current flood of sappy fiction inundating the shelves of American bookstores. And if HBO or some other movie factory does not pick this book up to turn into a silver screen gem, well then producers need to put their comic books down and take a long vacation. Rarely have I read a book where I care so much about the characters and see them not as ghosts inhabiting the page but real people that might actually be alive somewhere.  This is the greatest tribute a reader can give to the author’s art.

Don’t think this novel is only action and adventure, either. There are moments of true great writing in the way Hemingway once said that he would be content to “write one true sentence.” Much of this book will leave you weeping, occasionally laughing but always wondering, “What would I do?”  It becomes a real journey of the soul and one cannot ignore the truths that emerge in light of the current history of our great nation when we seem to have lost our way. Pastore has offered up a real lesson in patriotism and genuine American values that have been shoved under the expensive rug of the oval office all too often.

There is no doubt that there will be more “Never on These Shores” volumes; thankfully Pastore leaves us wanting -- no craving -- the continuation of this story.  I would write him a letter myself and beg, but critics are supposed to be above that, right? I wonder if the publisher will forward my plea….

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