The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Carson McCullers is proof positive that a writer can produce an important, enduring book without innovative use of language or narrative structure, without waxing especially eloquent in descriptive passages, without sparkling dialogue or an intricate plot. McCullers tells her story simply, with understanding and compassion for the loneliness in all of us.

The pivotal character, around whom all the others circle, is Singer, a deaf mute who can communicate in sign, but who also reads lips and writes notes to communicate with the hearing world. The novel tells the stories of four searchers for meaning and beauty who are drawn to him because he "listens" and seems to be the one person who really understands them. Blount is a wanderer and a hard drinker, passionate about the inequality in America between the rich and the poor, convinced that a revolution must occur but unable to convince anyone to act. Doctor Copeland is a black physician who has spent his life trying to educate his people and convince them to seek equality with the white world, only to find his message falling on "deaf" ears, even in his own family. Mick is a young girl on the cusp of womanhood, who is obsessed with classical music and the desire to achieve something with her life, far away from the struggle against poverty of her family. Biff Brannon is the owner of the cafe where Singer eats, who is searching for love and beauty in his life. As for Singer, he "listens" to his new friends, but he longs for his old friend, Antonapoulos, another deaf mute, who has been sent by his family to a mental hospital. Only to Antonapoulos can Singer communicate his hopes and longings, even though his friend may not even understand what he is signing.

McCullers' writing style is very calm and the action is slow, so that when terrible, violent events happen, they come as a complete surprise (as they do in real life). The reader is "struck speechless."

I suppose this could be viewed as a very depressing book, yet it ends with a hint of hope--not that the characters will achieve their dreams but that they will at least keep trying.

I re-read this book, first read many years ago, after seeing the old movie made from it on TCM last Sunday. I had not thought previous to re-reading about how much this resembles 'Winesburg, Ohio' by Sherwood Anderson, which I recently read for the first time. Surely Anderson must have been an inspiration for McCullers, since his was written many years before hers. But I believe McCullers did a better job.

'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter' is #17 on the Modern Library Top 100 and is also included in the Time Top 100. Essential reading, for sure.