The Sorry World — Robert L. Skidmore

Two brothers, identical twins, forsake the mountains of West Virginia and seek their destinies in New York City. Blair Satterfield, the novelist, encounters early success, though not of the kind he anticipated. Brighton Satterfield, the playwright, meets hard times and finds his career sidetracked by a journey through Hollywood's writers' community where the pay is great but individual rewards slight.. Despite the difficult depression years, the Satterfields make their mark on the big city's literary scene. Just as the future begins to look golden, the clouds of war descend. Both Satterfields join the army, each seeking the material that will let him produce the great American novel. Lieutenant Blair Satterfield to his surprise finds himself assigned to an unusual Signal Corps intelligence unit in New York. His brother drops out of OCS and is shipped to the jungles of Guadalcanal. Blair moves to England and then the continent where he trails on the heels of General George Patton's raging tanks. War deals both brothers astonishing hands. Blair trips into a courtmartial while his brother cavorts in Paris. They survive the blood and gore only to return home to encounter tragedy.