On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

Comments on this board should be written with the assumption that not all readers have finished the book. Please avoid revealing any spoilers.

I read this one about 5 years ago with this group, and loved it. I will definitely re-read it at some point, just not this month. But I will follow the discussion, and chime in if I can.

Although I'm only 40 pages into this novel, I finding it difficult connecting to any of the characters besides the protagonist. Binx is currently visiting his Aunt and Uncle and we meet Walter and Kate. Are Kate and Walter sister and brother or Binx's cousins? Is Walter Kate's husband? I may be making too much of this but it seems that Binx is the only character thus far that is better scripted. The relationship of Walter and Kate is so nebulous that I find myself having difficulty making a connection to them. I do know Kate has had mental breakdown in the past and Walter was a college chum of Binx. Beyond that, I don't know much about them. Maybe this will come later.

John wrote: "Although I'm only 40 pages into this novel, I finding it difficult connecting to any of the characters besides the protagonist. Binx is currently visiting his Aunt and Uncle and we meet Walter and ..."

It took me a while to get all the characters straightened out too. Percy gives us threads of information and we begin to weave those threads into understanding as we work through the book.

I think that nebulous connection between Walter and Kate is intentional. Binx makes a mention of "after the engagement," in reference to Walter, so I take that to mean he is Kate's fiance (without giving up too much info here regarding Kate's prior situation and breakdown).

But Binx has trouble connecting with Walter, though they're old chums, as you point out, and you get the sense that there is a disconnect in the Walter-Kate relationship also, and maybe that's why Percy keeps it somewhat vague.

Oddly enough, I have been thinking of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof while reading the first section of this book. There is something about Kate that puts me in mind of Maggie.

I didn't seem to have any problem sorting out the relationships. It seemed clear to me that Kate and Walter were meant to be on the verge of marriage. I do agree with R, that all the relationships here seem to have a disconnect. But then, Binx is constantly evaluating people in terms of what they "say" and what they actually "mean" and finding a need to go beneath the surface. Perhaps it is because what he says is seldom what he means.

It's been several years since I read The Moviegoer, but it is one of my favorites! Hope I remember it well enough to make some good contributions to the discussion.

It's been a while since I last read The Moviegoer, so my memory may not be serving me well, but those of you who are finding a disconnect between the characters are probably connecting quite well with Percy's intentions.

I just finished this book, and without giving anything away, all the disconnects become very connected in the last half of the story. Binx is a man who speaks as little as possible, but always speaks honestly. And Kate is a loveable mess.

This is my first experience reading Walker Percy's work. I am just a short way in and I am lovin' it. His writing is dazzling.
One example of his sparkle. He is describing sunset in Gentilly. "The sky is a deep bright ocean full of light and life. A mare's tail of cirrus cloud stands in high from the Gulf." Wow!

Besides I love New Orleans.