The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 30 July 2009
by Richard Yates
The disaffection of the sensitive suburb dweller is in itself a kind of subgenre of American literature. American disaffection goes all the way back to The Scarlet letter and before. Since the 1950s, a particular breed has developed, reacting to the supposedly vacant values of that era. The most prominent chronicler of that kind of unhappiness was, of course, the late John Updike, who often beautifully portrayed the empty disconnection of the average man in average surroundings. This novel, which had become relatively obscure until a recent movie was made from it, is of that same subgenre and is most reminiscent of Updike's books. If you are inclined toward disaffection in your own life, particularly of the middle-of-the-road American suburban variety, this book is likely to both engage and depress you. Frank Wheeler is a young suburban father of two. He is married to beautiful April, who is just starring in a suburban community theater production of The Petrified Forest. Together, they started out in a lower-Manhattan apartment, young and full of energetic dreams of breaking free of the everyday existence of office-workers and Connecticut commuters. Life didn't share their enthusiasm, though. When April gets pregnant, they argue over the possibility of inducing an abortion (reflect that when this book was published in 1961, abortion was neither safe nor legal). They keep the baby, years before they had ever planned to have kids. Frank takes an empty job in a downtown skyscraper and they move to the suburbs. This may sound like the typical depressing story of suburban emptiness, but Yates portrays the Wheelers' descent in a beautifully nuanced way. His writing is compelling and convincing. Their choices are entirely believable in the world in which they live. Years pass. April and Frank are deeply dissatisfied and frustrated. Their dreams of a Bohemian life in Europe come and go. April makes one last-ditch effort to free them from what they see as the trap in which they live. It's easy enough for some people to feel superior to the material values of suburban living. But there are shifts in life that bring people to many unexpected places. And there are many people for whom the suburban lifestyle is just what they've dreamed of. People are people. Frank and April's unhappiness can't have a particularly happy outcome. And that's their story. The book is fluidly written, compelling and often very forward-looking. In the decade that followed, a whole generation attempted to overthrow that whole American-way-of-life dream. In some ways, they succeeded. But, forty years on, there is so much that remains shockingly unchanged. American culture has sudden shifts and occasional upheavals, but its overall movement is glacial.