Finished it last week. The characters are brilliant -- not in the British sense but in the sense that they practically shine off the page. Much darker than Wise Blood, which was whimsical and funny despite its bitterness, and darker even than most of the stories in A Good Man Is Hard To Find.
The tension in each episode is palpable. This is true even when the outcome of a given scene can be seen from a mile away, in part because O'Connor doesn't let on until the very end which way the main character, Frank Tarwater, will go. I feel stupid and clumsy trying to say anything deeper, although there's a lot more still churning around up there in my brain.
At one point, there's a rather startling bit of homophobic stereotyping. O'Connor's treatment of race and class and gender and mental illness and religion is so insightful that I admit to being rather disappointed as the scene in question unfolded. Oh well. On the whole, a fabulous book. Will re-read someday.
The tension in each episode is palpable. This is true even when the outcome of a given scene can be seen from a mile away, in part because O'Connor doesn't let on until the very end which way the main character, Frank Tarwater, will go. I feel stupid and clumsy trying to say anything deeper, although there's a lot more still churning around up there in my brain.
At one point, there's a rather startling bit of homophobic stereotyping. O'Connor's treatment of race and class and gender and mental illness and religion is so insightful that I admit to being rather disappointed as the scene in question unfolded. Oh well. On the whole, a fabulous book. Will re-read someday.
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