Been diving into some older stuff lately and just finished Miss Lonelyhearts and Day of teh Locust by Nathanael West from the 30s. These books hit so different than what I expected
Both stories take these really awkward social moments we all have and just crank them up to 11. Like when you're stuck in a conversation that goes nowhere but somehow gets worse and worse – West does that but makes it this whole surreal nightmare about what life was like back then
Miss Lonelyhearts especially got to me. This guy writes an advice column and gets these absolutely unhinged letters from readers. They're so dark and weird but also kind of hilarious in this uncomfortable way where you feel bad for laughing. The main character is just completely falling apart from reading all this misery every day
What really struck me was how neurotic everyone is. All these characters are just wound so tight and every little interaction becomes this huge dramatic thing that spirals completely out of control. Its like watching someone have a meltdown in slow motion
The whole thing feels like a fever dream version of trying to make it in america during the depression. Everything is just slightly off and disturbing but presented in this matter-of-fact way that makes it even more unsettling
Anyone else read these? They're pretty short but pack a punch. West died young in a car accident which is wild considering how dark his writing was
by Sweet-Description272
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*Miss Lonelyhearts* resembles nothing so much as the advice and rant threads on Reddit.
I posted a couple of months ago about ‘They Shoot Horses, Don’t They’ which is an extremely dark story about a dance marathon set in the Depression on a California pierÂ
A lot of Steinbeck’s short stories also reflect on these themesÂ
Did you read Miss Lonelyhearts as satire or tragedy? I kept going back and forth the whole time.
Tim Robinson “I think you should leave” vibes.