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In the Midst of Earth
Dust jacket art by Paul Bacon. Her second book.
402 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
34 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Harris
41 books81 followersHarris was born on June 4, 1931, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of John P., an oil executive, and Dora (nee Veal) Harris. Harris was educated in her home state, attending Cottey College from 1945 to 1951, then transferring to the University of Oklahoma, from which she received a bachelor of arts degree in 1953 and a master of arts degree in 1955.
Harris's first collection of short stories, King's Ex, was published by Doubleday in 1967. After that Harris proved a prolific author, publishing seventeen books, including novels, short stories, romance/ historical fiction and children's fiction in a twenty-year period from 1970 to 1989. These works, in addition to those listed above, include In the Midst of Earth (1969), The Peppersalt Land (1970), The Runaway's Diary (1971), The Conjurers (1974), Bledding Sorrow (1976), The Portent (1980), The Last Great Love (1981), Warrick (1985), Night Games (1987), and Lost and Found (1991). Harris's work has received a wide readership; in 1983, nine million of her books were in print, and her work has been translated into many languages, including French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and Japanese. She has also been an author in residence at Oklahoma's Central State University.
She died January 18, 2002.
Harris's first collection of short stories, King's Ex, was published by Doubleday in 1967. After that Harris proved a prolific author, publishing seventeen books, including novels, short stories, romance/ historical fiction and children's fiction in a twenty-year period from 1970 to 1989. These works, in addition to those listed above, include In the Midst of Earth (1969), The Peppersalt Land (1970), The Runaway's Diary (1971), The Conjurers (1974), Bledding Sorrow (1976), The Portent (1980), The Last Great Love (1981), Warrick (1985), Night Games (1987), and Lost and Found (1991). Harris's work has received a wide readership; in 1983, nine million of her books were in print, and her work has been translated into many languages, including French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and Japanese. She has also been an author in residence at Oklahoma's Central State University.
She died January 18, 2002.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 30, 2015
Good grief, Charlie Brown. What can I say about this book?
*considers*
Okay, I'll start with the content. This is, in fact, Literary Fiction. While there are slight gothic undertones, it's a serious novel about the human condition & emotional suicide & other weighty topics. Themes are varied & include mind-bending erudite squabbles such as representations & extensions of self, the mind shaping one's surroundings, boundaries of abusive behavior, the nature of God vs religion, gender role reversal, the price of sterile academia, & parental roles in one's worldview -- in short, it's long on discussion & short on plot (the single most defining characteristic of Literary Fiction, IMO).
It's a novel where the landscape (Southwestern prairie) becomes its own character. Human personalities are few, & the unusual landscape scrapes each to raw bones. As for the cast, we have Myra (the foundling narrator), Mr Jack (her father-figure/mentor), Miss Caliber (the housekeeper), Henry Boots (the gruff caretaker), Dr Gayley (Mr Jack's one local friend), & Mr Werner (the German newspaper writer who dies early on & becomes a key motif). That's it. Despite the majority of the book being narrated from Myra's POV, you'll get to know all of them -- though perhaps with a grain of salt, since Myra isn't a paragon of human understanding.
It's a novel with an overhanging sense of dread. Harris loves to write The Doom That Doth Cycle Around -- karma, perhaps? This one, though...there's something about it that's highly unsettling. Sometimes Harris' negative circles are created by one's ancestors (Bledding Sorrow), or sometimes by parallel self-punishment (This Other Eden). This one, however, stems from Myra's inability to break her mental cycles & obsessions. The closing scene offers little conclusion, but rather a return to the same cycle that keeps her from becoming a better-adjusted person. The question of Myra's relationship with Mr Jack is the driving force of the novel. Is she psychotic or genuine? Is her love passion or obsession? Does she really feel these things, or is it revenge for the sterile non-love she received as a child? God only knows (no pun intended), as Harris shifts into third person for the key scene between Myra & Mr Jack, barring the reader from certainty either way. That scene is somewhat disturbing, to say the least. For those who want to be spoiled:
Anyhoo...
In the Midst of Earth puts Harris' writing front & center. She has a knack for describing emotional nuance that's rare in any style. Some authors are wordy & it bogs down the novel -- but Harris is wordy with a strong command of her characters. They're all unique & they're going to make you understand why they do what she tells them...regardless of damage to their mental faculties, or the reader's sense of needing a shower. So, yes; I have to say this was good in terms of the compulsion to complete it. But I'm not sure who would really like it, so I don't know if I can recommend it. I can't say as I got tremendous joy from the story or the characters, though I have to give Harris her due in terms of writing & language.
Four stars for this tome-o-malcontent-behaviorists.
*considers*
Okay, I'll start with the content. This is, in fact, Literary Fiction. While there are slight gothic undertones, it's a serious novel about the human condition & emotional suicide & other weighty topics. Themes are varied & include mind-bending erudite squabbles such as representations & extensions of self, the mind shaping one's surroundings, boundaries of abusive behavior, the nature of God vs religion, gender role reversal, the price of sterile academia, & parental roles in one's worldview -- in short, it's long on discussion & short on plot (the single most defining characteristic of Literary Fiction, IMO).
It's a novel where the landscape (Southwestern prairie) becomes its own character. Human personalities are few, & the unusual landscape scrapes each to raw bones. As for the cast, we have Myra (the foundling narrator), Mr Jack (her father-figure/mentor), Miss Caliber (the housekeeper), Henry Boots (the gruff caretaker), Dr Gayley (Mr Jack's one local friend), & Mr Werner (the German newspaper writer who dies early on & becomes a key motif). That's it. Despite the majority of the book being narrated from Myra's POV, you'll get to know all of them -- though perhaps with a grain of salt, since Myra isn't a paragon of human understanding.
It's a novel with an overhanging sense of dread. Harris loves to write The Doom That Doth Cycle Around -- karma, perhaps? This one, though...there's something about it that's highly unsettling. Sometimes Harris' negative circles are created by one's ancestors (Bledding Sorrow), or sometimes by parallel self-punishment (This Other Eden). This one, however, stems from Myra's inability to break her mental cycles & obsessions. The closing scene offers little conclusion, but rather a return to the same cycle that keeps her from becoming a better-adjusted person. The question of Myra's relationship with Mr Jack is the driving force of the novel. Is she psychotic or genuine? Is her love passion or obsession? Does she really feel these things, or is it revenge for the sterile non-love she received as a child? God only knows (no pun intended), as Harris shifts into third person for the key scene between Myra & Mr Jack, barring the reader from certainty either way. That scene is somewhat disturbing, to say the least. For those who want to be spoiled:
Anyhoo...
In the Midst of Earth puts Harris' writing front & center. She has a knack for describing emotional nuance that's rare in any style. Some authors are wordy & it bogs down the novel -- but Harris is wordy with a strong command of her characters. They're all unique & they're going to make you understand why they do what she tells them...regardless of damage to their mental faculties, or the reader's sense of needing a shower. So, yes; I have to say this was good in terms of the compulsion to complete it. But I'm not sure who would really like it, so I don't know if I can recommend it. I can't say as I got tremendous joy from the story or the characters, though I have to give Harris her due in terms of writing & language.
Four stars for this tome-o-malcontent-behaviorists.
sounds-interesting-so-maybe
June 3, 2012Looks interesting, found through a tag for older man, younger woman. If ever I find a copy, I would like to read it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews