New York Times Literary Treat of the Week.

Foden, Giles. Turbulence. Alfred A. Knopf.

Fans of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas for 130 years are familiar with the fact that "a policeman's lot is not a happy one." Yet if Mr. Gilbert had investigated meteorologists he might have included that profession in his words for the stage. Consider Henry Meadows, a forecaster assigned in 1944 to predict the best weather for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. It is a task he is emotionally prepared to handle having lost both his parents to a flash flood years before in the then-British colony of Malawi. To do it right, Meadows must have the right approach to what he calls "the last great problem in classical physics:" atmospheric turbulence. The key lies in the research of Wallace Ryman, a reclusive genius in seclusion as a conscientious objector in Scotland. Describing what Henry Meadows goes through that leads to being an actual part of that pivotal invasion is a true challenge for a novelist. Yet Foden, whose prior works include "The Last King of Scotland" (the movie version on DVD at Merrick Library) ties it together well including why Meadows in later life helped build a vessel for transporting fresh water to a desert part of Saudi Arabia.

Reviewed by Librarian, Bob.