Winning Book Review - December

Winning Review by Evelyn Walsh in Swords.

Review of Revolutionary Road

Definitely one of my favourite reads this year and a great book club choice, the myriad characters guaranteeing the generation of lively debate.

The story is that of a young middle class angst ridden suburban couple in 1950's America, Frank and April Wheeler. They find themselves on the slow slide to incredibly boring middle age and death without ever having 'found' themselves.

Brilliantly written, I loved in particular the way Yates paints his characters. The essence of Frank is, for me, summed up in an early part of the book as follows:

'He looked at himself in the mirror, tightening his jaw and turning his head to one side to give it a leaner more commanding look, the face he had given himself in mirrors since boyhood and which no photographer had ever quite achieved'

The book opens with a performance by local dramatic society in which April plays the lead and her character's lines sum up her own perceptions of herself:

'Sometimes I feel as if I were sparkling all over.. And I want to go out and do something that's absolutely crazy, and marvellous"

The Wheeler's marriage is in trouble. One of their fights brutally described thus :

'It quivered their arms and legs and wrenched their faces into shapes of hatred, it urged them harder and deeper into each other's weakest points, showing them cunning ways around each other's strongholds and quick chances to switch tactics, feints and strike again'. The pin point accuracy of the writing sent shivers down my spine.

April, determined that they will as a family change and 'find' themselves, plans emigration to Europe where she proposes to support them all whilst the hapless Frank might discover whatever greatness is within him.

Frank is enthralled but horrified by the idea particularly as his previously mundane job has taken an unexpected upturn and is secretly pleased that the decision to emigrate must be reconsidered because of an unplanned pregnancy.

All minor characters, neighbours who have become friends simply because of proximity, and Frank's workmates are sharply observed and drawn. I particularly liked the 'insane' son of their elderly neighbours who, after an exhibition of 'bad manners' in the Wheeler house, points to April's swelling stomach and says, 'You know what I'm glad of? I'm glad I'm not gonna be that kid."

Frank fails, not surprisingly, to take into account April's determination and conviction that:

''if you wanted to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone'.

Richard Yates doesn't flinch the ending and this is a book I will definitely read and re read. A book of many layers, relevant to every era as suburbia, bad relationships and people rarely change. One will always find something fresh in it. A five star read. I hope the movie doesn't make a mess of it!