According to William Faulkner, Sanctuary was "deliberately conceived to make money." It is, he said, "the most horrific tale I could imagine." By the time the galley proofs were ready, Faulkner realized he could not let it be published as originally written, so he rewrote it. "I made a fair job....," he said.
I agree with his evaluation. This novel is only "a fair job." The story elements are straight from potboiler pulp fiction --the criminal underworld, prostitution, bootlegging, voyeurism, rape, and murder. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the sensationalistic events lose much of their impact because of Faulkner's oblique manner of exposition. Some of this is related in typical pulp fiction style, but other times the novel erupts into more typical Faulkner, with extravagant bursts of baroque prose. And it just doesn't fit together very well. Sorry, Bill.
I generally love Faulkner, but this one not so much.
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