I have previously read a collection of Richard Yates short stories Eleven Kinds of Loneliness and I really enjoyed them so on the back of that and the recommendation of one of my favourite comics, Josie Long, I decided to read Revolutionary Road.
It's the story of Frank and April Wheeler as they try to escape the vapid suburban life they have found themselves living in.
The book really captures the feeling of post Second World War America that the American dream is dead. You really feel the boredom and desperation as young couples who thought they were going to change the world and become great
It's the story of Frank and April Wheeler as they try to escape the vapid suburban life they have found themselves living in.
The book really captures the feeling of post Second World War America that the American dream is dead. You really feel the boredom and desperation as young couples who thought they were going to change the world and become great
artists and thinkers realise that they are now middle aged couples raising their children in the suburbs while the men go off to work in the city.
The mix of viewpoints that you get throughout the book show how almost universal these feelings of hopelessness are while also highlighting how alone all the characters feel, as if they are the only sane person in the midst of a sea of mindless suburban zombies.
I really loved this book. It isn't a fast paced action book like Chasm City but that doesn't mean you don't feel hooked. I kept reading as I delved deeper and deeper into the neurosis of these seemingly normal people, and I really enjoyed what I found. At the end (I won't give it away too much I hope) there is a big event that you expect will jolt everyone out of their complacency and although it's not the most dramatic climax of a book I've ever read, it fits the plot perfectly as April finds the only way out of the life they all spend their time complaining about but never doing anything about.
Such a good read. I recommend it completely as long as you aren't expecting some feelgood romance out of it.
The mix of viewpoints that you get throughout the book show how almost universal these feelings of hopelessness are while also highlighting how alone all the characters feel, as if they are the only sane person in the midst of a sea of mindless suburban zombies.
I really loved this book. It isn't a fast paced action book like Chasm City but that doesn't mean you don't feel hooked. I kept reading as I delved deeper and deeper into the neurosis of these seemingly normal people, and I really enjoyed what I found. At the end (I won't give it away too much I hope) there is a big event that you expect will jolt everyone out of their complacency and although it's not the most dramatic climax of a book I've ever read, it fits the plot perfectly as April finds the only way out of the life they all spend their time complaining about but never doing anything about.
Such a good read. I recommend it completely as long as you aren't expecting some feelgood romance out of it.
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