Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941) by Carson McCullers
I am an admitted fan of Southern Gothica, having experienced it firsthand, but rediscovering Carson McCullers has been a great pleasure. I read Reflections in a Golden Eye (1941) on a recent trip to New Orleans. I had just finished The Lonely Hunter: A Biography of Carson McCullers by Virginia Spencer Carr, and was eager to bring Carson along on my trip, which landed me in rural Mississippi after a week of intolerable heat and humidity in the Crescent City.
The prose of Reflections in a Golden Eye was sparse, yet sharpened like a blade. The repressed and claustrophobic atmosphere of the South seeped out of the pages and stained, permanently, perhaps. Many of the characters I recognized from my childhood, or facsimiles, at least. Taking place in an army camp, obsession and desire seemed uncontainable, with tragic consequences.
The film by John Huston starring Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor is quite good, but the real star is McCullers herself, having created such a riveting and beguiling story. She deserves her place as in the 75 Years of Books.
Also of interest:
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940)
Next entry: Gripping, disturbing drama
Previous entry: Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West (1985) by Cormac McCarthy
