Introduction
Through the generations writers of novels have employed the technique of using a microcosmic society to symbolize the society at large. It is to the credit of the medium of fiction that concisely and within a limited and bounded set, be it Camus' Oran or Solshenizyn's Siberian prison camp, a skilled author can create a reflection of a whole time, an entire nation or the world itself-a reflection that oft-times is clearer than the original itself. Roger Grey's brilliant new novel Teacher and the Team employs a small northern California community as the setting for this shocking expose of avarice and immorality. Any adept reader will see in the turmoil that takes place in this small football-oriented town, a prototype of the turmoil that has beleaguered the country at large during the wake of a disastrous war and the grips of a previously unheard of inflationary recession.
We would however caution readers not to look too far outside the book, too far beyond its characters and its setting, for greater symbolic meaning. The larger symbol is there, but we would hate for that to be allowed to obscure what must be one of the most moving stories of human conflict and emotions that has crossed our editorial desk in years. This saga of a young woman torn between lust and morality, trying to find her place as a liberated modern woman in a restricted and narrow stratum of society, stands on its own as a gripping minor masterpiece of suspense, heartbreak and finally, an ironic kind of redemption when the heroine finally comes to terms with herself. The greater politico-social allegory that can be read into it is a fringe benefit.
Once again Mr. Roger Grey has taken a naturalistic setting and a group of real and unromanticized characters to weave a poignant commentary on modern-day American life. We, The Publishers, are certain that this hard-hitting novel will be welcomed by the mature adult reader as an instructive and entertaining addition to his library of contemporary mores.