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Shakesthegrounds Rumblings
Shakesthecoffecan:
I finished reading Annie Proulx's Postcards yesteday. It was a hard read for me. I get the sense she goes into a trance and writes sometimes, I have to go back repeatedly to reread what she has written, to get the full meaning of a sentance.
The story is about the Blood family of Creme Hill, Vermont, and how their world unravells. The eldest son, Loyal Blood, accidently kills his girlfriend, I never picked up on what happened but I think they were having sex in the woods. He goes into a self imposed exile, heads west into a lonely world of isolation and stange characters. When the book ended I felt cold and alone, and aching for Loyal Blood as I have ached for Ennis. Proulx really seems to understand the isolation of those who don't fit in society, and when you get right down to it, no one does.
Front-Ranger:
I also read Postcards several years ago and it had a strong effect on me. I particularly liked the mother and was moved by how she died. It was a gripping portrayal of the Depression and helped me understand people who have been through that. I'll never forget Loyal's last post card, "Hoofing it."
gattaca:
I haven't yet read Postcards and now I will have to read it. :)
From your interpretation of her prose, it seems to me that it might read a little like Burroughs (that's William S. and not Edgar Rice) who was an icon of the Beat generation and who also had an intimate understanding of exclusion and self-imposed exile.
Shakesthecoffecan:
That is an interesting comparisson, I think you may be right, but I think Proulx had a clearer mind when she wrote. The beats, I have no ability to read them, I find myself overwelmed by the words. Now I can listen to them being read on a CD, driving down the road, that is how I listened to "On the Road". My partner read me "Howl" the night after Burroughs died, in 1997, I think. It was profound, I should go back and see if I can read it now.
gattaca:
--- Quote from: shakestheground on June 20, 2006, 09:16:54 am ---That is an interesting comparisson, I think you may be right, but I think Proulx had a clearer mind when she wrote.
--- End quote ---
Oh - I'm quite sure that Annie had a MUCH clearer mind when she wrote than did Burroughs! I can relate to both however. Annie pulls at my heartstrings, and Burroughs forces me to remember my addictions. At one time, I was convinced that the way to my heart was through Schedule 1 and 2 controlled substances. :-\
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