Lonely Hearts Club Part II

Tonight the Neland Women's Book Club, a book club from my church, met to discuss The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Thankfully for all of us, it turned out that Rita was leading instead of me. Her research into McCullers's sad and hard life helped us identify more with the author who wrote about sad, hard lives.

We quickly came to agreement on the novel's excellent depiction of the loneliness that remain with all of us at some point in our lives. We also agreed on excellence of the writing. It is astonishing that a college girl was writing with such beautiful language and insight into poverty, pain and loneliness, and that she was writing in the late 1930s and knew so much about Hitler, Marxism, racism and the plight of mill workers.

There was little agreement, however, when it came to characters. Each of us reacted to the 5 main characters in different--sometimes vastly different--ways. Where I read Biff as a closeted gay man, others read an impotent man stuck in an unhappy marriage. Where some saw Dr. Copeland as a sympathetic character--an intelligent black man who had faced injustice his entire life and kept working for something higher--others were repelled by his anger and his cold relationship with his children.

Our discussion pointed out the beauty of the novel--complicated, well-developed characters. Each character was seen in a different light by the other characters, particularly in the case of the deaf-mute that they were all attracted to, Mr. Singer. Because he could not talk to them, they all showered their secrets and dreams and disappointments on him, and they projected their own idea of who he was onto him.

Mr. Singer himself is a dead-end Christ figure--a Jewish man who drew people to him, who was generous and kind, who was completely misunderstood by all of them. Yet his messianic presence is more pretense--he doesn't lead them to much in the end. The hunters seem to be on a spiritual hunt, which could sound like we're trying to read into it, since we are a church book club, yet McCullers herself throws Scripture in at critical moments. I don't mean to say that this book is somehow Christian in its arc, but we felt that it described a journey that all of us experience. As she has one character quote, "All men seek for Thee."

So now I'm reading my antidote to McCullers's book of missed connections and lives lived in isolation. In the Neighborhood by Peter Lovenheim chronicles a man's quest to get to know his neighbors. After many years lived on the same stately, affluent street, he realized that he really didn't know anyone living around him. In the wake of a murder-suicide just a few houses down that doesn't seem to affect many people, Lovenheim determines to learn about the people whose lives play out next door to his. He does this by interviews, and where possible, sleeping over at their houses. So far it's an interesting look behind the closed doors of the Joneses and everyone else.

One last item: my friend Laura highly recommends the novel Come Sunday by Isla Morley. I'd tell you what she said about it, but she told me in a Facebook chat message and there's no retrieving it! But if Laura liked it, it must be good.

Lonely Hearts Club

Cold rain is falling and books are calling. So is my dishwasher--it wants to be emptied--but I am more faithful to books than I am to my kitchen.

This week I finished reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, which our church book club will be discussing in another week. As I mentioned before, my previously owned copy of this book has the signature of the previous owner, as well as the word "okay." I can only assume this is her evaluation of the book. As Barbara, a member of the Fab 5 Book Club, is famous for saying, "Classics are okay, if they're good."

You might think that it would be obvious to me that a book called The Heart is a Lonely Hunter would be a little more somber than, not quite as buoyant as, say, a book called The Heart Floats on Endless Happiness or some such thing. Still, I should've prepared myself more for this novel.

Published in 1940, when, according to my book, McCullers was 23 years old, this novel is full of unique characters, haunting writing, and well-described--you guessed it--loneliness. Each character suffers his or her own brand of isolation. The interesting thing about it is that you get to see what the characters think about themselves, what they think others think of them, and what others really think of them.

The novel is built around Mr. Singer, who is a deaf-mute man who attracts other isolated people. I particularly liked Mick, the restless girl heading into adolescence. I remember the feeling that I was ready to break out into the world, if only I could figure out how. It will be interesting to see what other people thought of the novel.

Currently I'm reading Eli the Good, a young adult novel by Silas House. I've read several of his novels for adults, and I heard him speak one time. I was impressed by him when he spoke--a gentle, thoughtful person--and my favorite novel of his so far is A Parchment of Leaves. He writes about characters who live in his own area of Kentucky mountains and coal mines.

I'm not far into Eli yet, but at this point it strikes me that the main character is retelling his tenth summer with a nostalgia that suits adults better than kids. That is only to say I'm not sure what kids would take from it, but I like it thus far.

Time to settle in with a warm blanket and a book. Sounds like the perfect Mother's Day to me!

A Major Award!

Folks, all of the hours I spend reading rather than, well, accomplishing things have finally paid off. I got a phone call today from the East Grand Rapids Library informing me that I won the drawing for the grand prize in the Let It Snow reading club. I've never won a drawing before, so I'm pretty excited. What is that prize? I don't know yet--I haven't gotten there yet to claim it. I'll have to keep you in suspense. I vaguely remember seeing something about a gift card to Schuler Books, so here's hoping. Just goes to show, reading is the way to real wealth.

I finished Michael Perry's book Population: 485 (finally) after Francene so nicely found it for me at Festival. It even made its way back to the library without a fine, shockingly! It's a great book: interesting, funny and full of compassion and respect for humanity. Next up--I'm halfway through The Heart is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. My copy is from a used book store, and its former owner signed her name and then wrote "okay." I'm wondering if that's her evaluation of the book. It's a big change from Perry's book, but so far, so good. I have to lead this one for church book club next month, so if you have any great insights for me, let me know.

My friend Sandy has this suggestion (stolen directly from her Facebook post without permission): "Want a great read? Pick up "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands" by Susan Carol McCarthy. It was published in 2002, but has completely eluded me until now. Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird." Hope to give that one a try!

The apple blossoms are in full bloom and the sun just keeps shining. Perfect setup for Saturday morning, when I join the line of hopeful souls buying tickets for Meijer Gardens Summer Concert Series. This is usually the highlight of the summer for Brian and me (going to the concerts, not standing in line). This year I'm particularly excited to go see Natalie Merchant. We rarely go to concerts anywhere else, but we can be found at Meijer Gardens pretty regularly. We've decided to pay them for tickets rather than buying a summer home. It makes the tickets seem just a bit cheaper. And the August Tuesdays are free! Maybe we'll see you there.