The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a book my mother has been telling me to read for at least a decade, and for some reason I never felt drawn to it... part of me was convinced it was going to turn out to be a terrible romance novel. Mom, you were right: I am so, so glad I read this book. The jacket of my copy says it is about "the ultimate inconsolability and incurability of the human soul," and that about sums it up. Read it!
Readability: Very readable. A little slow at times, and compared to some books not a lot HAPPENS, but the language is beautiful and the characters are engaging.
Enjoyability: I really enjoyed this book. Again, not a lot of action, but the intimate portraits painted of avariety of characters who are both very different and have fundamental similarities are just beautiful. This is a novel characteristic of the South, with lots of similarities to Faulkner or even Harper Lee, and the slower pace seems to fit the time and the sensibility of the story. It is enjoyable too because this book deals with issues of the human spirit: loneliness, connections between people, misunderstanding, and also more tangible struggles like alcoholism, poverty, suicide, and racism. McCullers could easily have approached any one of these with a heavy hand and a message or a point, but she paints the picture and then allows the reader to draw their own conclusion.
Favorite character: Most intriguing to me is Mr. Singer, the deaf-mute who works as an engraver in a silver shop, who cares passionately about his dear friend Antonapoulos and somewhat paradoxically becomes the confidant for many of the other characters. His anonymity and inability to react results in other characters projecting their thoughts, cares, and worries onto him, and he becomes a sort of vessel for holding these. I won't ruin everything and give the ending away, but let's just say it is shocking and unexpected. Intrigued? You should be.
Honorable mention for favorite character goes to Mick, the young girl who wants nothing more than to make music.
Most un-favorite character: I was not a big fan of Jake Blount, the hard-drinking wanderer. Not a lot of redeeming qualities, as far as I'm concerned.
Best Quotes:
Best Quotes:
"Maybe when people longed for a thing that bad the longing made them trust in anything that might give it to them."
"How can the dead be truly dead when they still live in the souls of those who are left behind?"
"the way i need you is a loneliness i cannot bear."
"Then suddenly he felt a quickening in him. His heart turned and he leaned his back against the counter for support. For in a swift radiance of illumination he saw a glimpse of human struggle and of valor. Of the endless fluid passage of humanity through endless time. And of those who labor and of those who—one word—love. His soul expanded. But for a moment only. For in him he felt a warning, a shaft of terror... he was suspended between radiance and darkness. Between bitter irony and faith."
Recommended for: Fans of Southern literature, people drawn to the struggles of humanity (I know that sounds broad and metaphysical, but really), people who are okay with a book where nothing blows up.
