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A review by doji_k
To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott
4.0
It is apparent after reading this how early Steinbeck wrote this in his career, not due to the skill he has displayed in writing this, but in how stark of a contrast the themes tackled in this novella are to the rest of his work. And after being on a sort of Steinbeck binge, this was definitely a breath of fresh air.
Steinbeck here has written a novella a kin to the works of Cormac McCarthy, a grim and often time unsettling and hopeless view of the harsh and desolate climate in the American West. Steinbeck's descriptions of Monterrey are still to this day unmatched, but in a departure he also chooses to incorporate surrealism in many scenes, making this story more of a tale of magical realism.
All of this culminates in a story that tackles the idea of faith and how different people react to having that faith tested. It explores many people's need for religion, and the nagging sense of superstition that builds in all of us. It also shows the lengths people will go to in order validate that faith, regardless of the consequences or mental skips in logic to do so.
I understand for many, this may be too different from the rest of Steinbeck's work. My only negative would be that even though this is already a short novella, shaving a little more off of the somewhat meandering first half would have made for a much more enjoyable read once the point of the novella begins to show itself.
Overall, judging from reading many other reviews, I think this is his most underrated work that has a lot to say and is well worth your time.
Steinbeck here has written a novella a kin to the works of Cormac McCarthy, a grim and often time unsettling and hopeless view of the harsh and desolate climate in the American West. Steinbeck's descriptions of Monterrey are still to this day unmatched, but in a departure he also chooses to incorporate surrealism in many scenes, making this story more of a tale of magical realism.
All of this culminates in a story that tackles the idea of faith and how different people react to having that faith tested. It explores many people's need for religion, and the nagging sense of superstition that builds in all of us. It also shows the lengths people will go to in order validate that faith, regardless of the consequences or mental skips in logic to do so.
I understand for many, this may be too different from the rest of Steinbeck's work. My only negative would be that even though this is already a short novella, shaving a little more off of the somewhat meandering first half would have made for a much more enjoyable read once the point of the novella begins to show itself.
Overall, judging from reading many other reviews, I think this is his most underrated work that has a lot to say and is well worth your time.