The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Carson McCullers

I’ve finally read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. (See, I have forbidden myself to purchase any new books until I finish all the unread books I own first. For some reason, this is one that I’d avoided reading. I think because it was an Oprah’s Book Club pick, and not that I have anything particularly against her, but I had wanted to read that book BEFORE she picked it, but I didn't have a chance to, and then I guess I didn’t want to seem as if I was reading it because of her. Not that anyone would know. Or care. Ok, I’m weird. HOWEVER, I did read The Corrections because Franzen refused the book club. Interesting. Not really.)

Anyway, I am pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved it. Admittedly, I felt there were a few minor flaws, but they were ones I can overlook, especially considering everything else this book has to offer.

First, I have to say that this book passed my “opening hook” test. If you don’t know, I often feel a book is “bad” simply because its opening pages don’t hook me immediately. There have been many books which I label as excellent even though they fail this test. However, for a book to truly be perfect, I have to be hooked immediately—preferably by the first page, although I’ll allow the first ten as acceptable here.

This book hooked me on the first page with its simple telling of two mutes. The story of these two characters was not so remarkable; rather, it was the way in which she presented the story. If you’ve read Marquez, you know what I mean: it’s the way an author can relate even mundane events in such a way as to make them poetry.

Another thing I really enjoyed was its characters. It isn’t exactly a revelation to say that if one can sympathize with the characters, it’s highly likely that you’ll like the book. In this book, I honestly loved the characters, especially little Mick, who is, I guess, the main character. She’s young, she’s confused, she loves Beethoven—what’s not to love? (I’m obsessed with Beethoven, by the way. I just bought a huge, stone bust of him on eBay. Seriously. Who does that?)

The only thing that bothered me a little bit about the book was that some of the motifs and symbolism were a little heavy-handed, but it also added to the overall irony, I suppose. For example, it’s not giving anything away to say that the book has many “lonely hunters,” who are, in fact, hunting for the same thing, and they are all in the same town and so close to one another and if only they could connect they might find some peace BUT THEY JUST CAN’T. So that was a bit frustrating, and I suppose that’s why some things are heavy-handed, to emphasize the fact that these people are so alike and yet so isolated from one another. But then again maybe I’d have gotten that with a little more subtlety.

In a nutshell: a wonderful book. A fairly easy read, but a literary one that will give you lots to mull over.

Bibliolatry Scale: 5.5 out of 6 stars