Can it be that the movie Ordinary People was actually better than the book? Is the world tilting off its axis? Are those the four horsemen of the apocalypse watering their horses at my sump pump drain? I believe it is so! I remember seeing and loving this movie when I saw it as an angst-y teenager. Of course it was back when a fairly ordinary movie could surprise me. But I digress...
I imagine that sometimes this book gets read because it looks short. But it reminded me of Ethan Frome in that, while it was interesting, I don't think that it would be that appealing for a summer read that is supposed to inspire a love of reading. It was interesting in that it is always interesting to see how other people live - spying, in a sense. But it didn't grip me emotionally the way the movie did. I think that can be attributed to the performances of the actors giving more information about the characters by the way they portrayed them than is actually given in the book.
I do like domestic fiction as a rule and how the death of one character affects those left behind. My absolute favorite book that deals with that is The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett, a writer I have been dying to recommend ever since I started recommending books here. Also, I suppose in a way, The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken. A couple of writers who manage to take sort of ordinary people and make their stories fascinating are Anne Tyler and Alison Lurie. And if you didn't like Ordinary People, rest assured that these other writers will not disappoint.
1 comment:
Not a comment on your post, but I did want to say hello. I hope you've been well.
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