A review by jimio
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Unnervingly prescient for something published in 1940. Carson McCullers was only 23 years old when she wrote this and it’s filled with a tender wisdom that recalls those other great writers of so-called gothic fiction – fans of William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, or Cormac McCarthy should read this if they haven’t already. 

Stirring up themes that still linger today – BLM, the 1%, fascism in the US, and even the fluidity of gender – this is a powerful book of muscular prose that deserves a modern audience. 

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