The Travelers

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James Samuel Vincent is an affluent Manhattan attorney who shirks his modest Irish American background but hews to his father's philandering ways. James muddles through a topsy-turvey relationship with his son, Rufus, which is further complicated when Rufus marries Claudia Christie. Claudia's mother, Agnes, is a beautiful African American woman who survives a chance encounter on a Georgia road that propels her into a new life in the Bronx. Soon after, Claudia's father, Eddie, is called to duty on an aircraft carrier in Vietnam, where Tom Stoppoard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead becomes his life anchor, as he grapples with mounting racial tensions on the ship and counts the days until he will see Agnes again. These unforgettable characters' lives intersect witha wide and piercingly written cast of lovers and friends, creating both an intimate family portrait and a sweeping exploration of what it means to be American today