The great success of his first book From Here To Eternity established James Jones's reputation as a major novelist and an unrivalled interpreter of the American soldier. For his new novel, massive in scale and closely observed in its detail, the small town of Parkman, Illinois provides a civilian setting.
The theme of Some Came Running is the sad gap between capability and achievement. Returning to Parkman in early middle age and after an absence of 19 years, Dave Hirsch finds himself a misfit, an embarrassment to his brother who is climbing his way to wealth and position in the town. Dave is a writer whose creative power slowly disintegrates in the folly and instability of his emotional life. His failure is mirrored by the failure of Gwen French, his friend and literary adviser, to disown the reputation which stands between her and happiness. Bewildered and unsure of himself, Dave finds his friends among the gamblers and colorful characters of Parkman's lower world, but their rough honesty is unable to prevent the final disaster.
