Herb and Jean Hervey fight all the time. It makes him crazy, but still Herb can't get Jean out of his system. Jean's in love with Paul, Wilda's husband. All Paul wants to do is leave for China and become a flyer. One evening Herb meets Dorothy, whose husband Tommy is fighting in Spain. Dorothy wants comfort and company, and Herb can't keep away from her.

Then Jean lets herself get picked up by George Green, who can't keep away from her. It all adds up to a lot of trouble. Retreat from Oblivion is a story of passion, sacrifice and frustration set in New York City at the outset of World War II. It is a story you will not soon forget.

David Goodis is considered one of the top writers of noir fiction, and this is his first novel, out of print in the U.S. for over 80 years and never before published in paperback.