What happens when political correctness gives rise to zero tolerance and zero compassion?
Many of the reviews I’ve read of this book call the protagonist impossible to sympathize with, and the subject matter nearly too disturbing to touch. I disagree. At the heart of the novel is a loner of young man, a convicted sex offender, who has been thrown out of the garden. Banks writes about human urges, about sanctimony, about compassion. His ear and eye are finely tuned to contemporary American language and culture, and his imagery is spot-on. He turns out a beautifully-crafted plot, except perhaps in the final chapters of the book where he goes a little Hollyrock (as he did in Rule of the Bone). Important and a great read.
Here I go with Russell Banks again. Yeah, I think this novel is especially great. it just sticks with me. I keep remembering it.. They’re probably going to read it again soon and talk about it on my stupid YouTube thing.
ReplyDeleteJust this weekend a new movie opened called oh Canada. It is Paul Schrader‘s adaptation of the novel Foregone by Banks. Which was his second to the last novel since I’m a big fan of both Schrader and Banks I’m gonna have to go to the movie.
I got a round to reading Trailerpark recently and tried the dress up like a New Hampshire person for my video review. Just trying to have fun
https://youtu.be/RmJDpwzZtlI?si=t6GI46tWeD4XogbW