This almost falls into the category of ‘books I should read’, but it’s not really that level of classic. I recall reading somewhere that this collection was one of those quintessential set of stories about America, and that’s what drew me to it. Unfortunately, I found the entire collection to be just okay. As with other recent reads, this was supposed to have elements of humour, but I didn’t see them. Instead, I found a dreary set of characters in not very interesting circumstances where not much happens (yes, the odd murder and exploitation, but presented in such a deadpan way as to be uninteresting).
The best story is likely the title one. At the centre of the story is an elderly woman living with her son and his family. It is summer, and she has been following a news story about an escaped convict called The Misfit. The family goes on a road trip, and along the way she convinces her son to take a detour to see an old plantation house she remembers. After bumping along the road for a time, they have an accident and end up in the ditch (in one of the only funny moments, the woman remembers that the house she’s been thinking of is actually in an entirely different state). Who comes along but The Misfit, and when she exclaims that she recognizes him, he has no choice but to kill them. This should have been funnier and more shocking and tragic, but I wasn’t moved to laughter or horror, as nothing was that funny or that surprising. It felt like a waste of an excellent story title (which ultimately had nothing to do with the plot, just a throwaway line from a minor character).
The introduction to this edition is by Lauren Groff, whose stories I find to be much more clever and engaging than anything here. I find many other writers of short stories – Towles, Fitzgerald, Saunders, to name a few – to be much better than O’Connor. I guess I just don’t see the genius, but then not everything is for everyone.
Fate: little book library
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