The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Classic, Southern Gothic
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is this Book About? The Heart is a Lonely Hunter takes readers on a slow amble through a Depression-era mill town in Georgia and the lives of a motley crew of characters. As a man who is deaf, newcomer John Singer’s silence and calm demeanor draw in a teenage girl, a café owner, a communist carnie, and an aging black doctor all seeking friendship and struggling to exist and be heard in a time of poverty, injustice, and moral isolation.
My Review: I first read this book five years ago and it still haunts me. McCullers wrote this, her first novel, when she was only 23, and her understanding of the world at such an age is something to be marveled at. There is no crescendo of action or cleverness to the plot, no hidden heroes in this town, no satisfaction in the conclusion of the story. There is simply the struggle and pain, violence and racism, heartbreak and hope that we’ve all heard before. But McCullers’ realistic rendering of the mundane maneuverings of small-town life is somehow profound through her unflinching gaze. Her rich characterization and straightforward language reveal hard, sometimes beautiful, truths about the human tendency to project, misinterpret, mistreat, and miscommunicate when all anyone seeks is acceptance or even simply someone who will listen.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Uneasy, Authentic, Memorable
Give it a Try if You Like: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Wise Blood by Flannery O’Conner
Rating: 4.5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
