Brave Talk

In this sentimental but rather dreary novel centered in a New England Navy Yard during the '60s, the lives of the distressed Cuban-born wife of a sailor and the son of a taciturn shipyard worker intertwine. Douglas ``Digit'' Clepchak has been medically deferred from service on a submarine and lives an aimless existence drinking with a friend at bars and working sporadically. Adriana ``Ana'' Pelletier immigrated to the U.S. after World War II; now her husband is frequently at sea, and she is left with her two children, longing for the family she left in Miami. Ana and Digit meet on a day when Jackie Kennedy is christening a new ship, and they intermittently turn to each other for support. This first novel tries very hard to make a point for the lonely lives of its characters marooned in a company town, but Molton does not give a sufficiently meticulous, complex portrait of Ana's heritage and confused existence in two cultures, nor does he enliven his sad story with any spark or glimpse beyond the cloudy present. (August 26)