Free 1870, book from 1964

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This synopsis (which I find kind of hilarious and not quite accurate) is hand-written inside the back cover of my copy:

Joe Christmas, who, because of his heritage, finds it impossible to assimilate into either the black or white cultures. He is doomed to remain until his death, in the isolation of self brought on by social norms and mores.
( )

446 / 28 - ιδιαίτερο μυθιστόρημα γεμάτο θλίψη και απαισιοδοξία . Ιστορίες ανθρώπων που έχουν περάσει πολλά έχουν "διαλυθεί" ως άνθρωποι και οι δρόμοι τους συναντιούνται. Μοναδικό φως η εγκυμονούσα Λένα που πιστεύει πως θα αλλάξει το κόσμο. ( )

Published in 1932, this classic American southern gothic novel, set during Prohibition, follows the intersecting lives of five people not following a traditional path in life. They are viewed as outsiders because they do not adhere to social norms. Joe Christmas is an orphan who is abused as a child and believes he is of mixed racial ancestry but has no proof. He is searching for his place in the world. Lena Grove is in an unwed pregnant young woman looking for the father of her unborn child. Gail Hightower is a disgraced reverend who is plagued by his family’s past and his wife’s scandalous death. Joanna Burden, now living alone on a large property, is part of an abolitionist family that has been ostracized for years by their rural southern community. Byron Bunch is a nondescript, poor, hardworking, quiet man whom no one notices. The plot centers around a criminal act of murder and arson. Themes include the search for identity and how individuals are oppressed by racism, patriarchy, and religious zealotry.

The book is written in third person omniscient. It focuses on one character, then shifts to another. It is not chronological. The storyline goes forward and backward in time fluidly, catching the reader up on what has been missed after focusing closely on what happens to one specific character. It sounds convoluted but it really works well in keeping the reader’s interest. Faulkner uses unusual pairings of words, running them together to create vivid images.

This novel is mostly dark, violent, tragic, and sad, with only a faint flicker of hope. It requires a certain maturity to assimilate the metaphors, religious allegory, and complexities inherent in this story. I tried reading Faulkner when I was young, but most of it flew over my head. I think it requires a breadth of life experience to appreciate his work. I have not read his entire canon, but this book would be a better starting point than The Sound and the Fury or Absalom, Absalom! ( )