Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If you think John Steinbeck is one of those 'heavy classics', a genius, but best avoided for, perhaps, being too much like hard work, then...think again! 'Sweet Thursday' is a teeny mouthful of a book, so beautifully written and easily read, that you will scoff it in one go and then wish there was more. It also happens to be a sequel to the equally small and mighty 'Cannery Row', (as I only realised after starting it), but don't worry about that. 'Sweet Thursday' stands alone and is a masterpiece.

Set in the then run-down community of Monterey on the American West Coast in the aftermath of the Second World War, the book, on the face of it, is a tale of struggling, forgotten folk eking a living out of nothing, seeking solace in their local bar and whorehouse. Even before the war the place wasn't exactly flourishing; but now it is on its knees. Central to the story is Doc, once everybody's stalwart and best friend, ready to help no matter how lost the cause or clumsy the manner of being called upon to assist. Yet as the narrative unfolds it quickly becomes clear that Doc has lost his love of life, and of himself too. All the things that used to make him buzz - collecting animal specimens, helping his mostly hopeless neighbours, seeking solace in the arms of a never-ending string of gorgeous women, have lost their glow. Indeed, we soon come to realise that we are watching a man being drowned by despair; and while the people around him cannot express it in so many words, they realise it too. A desperation to turn the situation around grows among them; almost is if Doc sinking means they too, will go under.

Steinbeck is known for his grand canvases - the most obvious example being 'The Grapes of Wrath', a novel that has the sweep of an entire country in its sights. The genius of 'Sweet Thursday' is that while the canvas is in miniature, the sweep of the subject matter is just as vast. We invest in Doc. We feel the weight of his loss of hope. Somehow, we realise that so much more than the fate of just one man is at stake. We root for Doc. We need him to be ok. We groan at the hapless efforts of those around him to help. Yet, gradually, painfully, unexpectedly, some of those efforts turn out to be not so hapless after all... Steinbeck may be a fearless realist, but if there is a speck of hope, he'll rootle it out.

It is hard to put your finger on why some stories have such power. Of 'Sweet Thursday' I would say that it is because Steinbeck's compassion - for all the things, good and bad, that make us human - sings in every word. I stopped noting down the sentences I wanted to quote, because there were simply too many of them. Better, I decided, to know that it is a book to which I shall return. Better in the meantime just to spread the word and share my awe. The world is feeling a little dark at the moment. So curl up with Steinbeck's 'Sweet Thursday'. It will entertain, surprise and soothe you; balm for the soul.



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