“Living had got to be such a habit with him that he couldn’t conceive of any other condition”
This was the best line in Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A late encounter with the enemy.”
Via a Facebook exchange with a friend, it was said that David Sedaris liked Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” My friend bantered with others about how much they too liked the book. I took that as a recommendation and found it at the library for my Kindle.
The setting is southern 1950s where there is rampant racism. I was surprised at the brutality of the stories, the unsympathetic characters and distasteful subjects. After finishing all but one story in the book, I looked at reviews on Amazon. I am in the minority of opinion of this book. The reviews talk of the dark side of human nature but in a celebratory manner. I think stories can explore the dark side of nature, but still be enjoyable. Harry Potter comes to mind. I guess I like liking the characters and I didn’t like the characters in any of the short stories. I had a hard time with the constant use of the N-word.
I think I’m too much of a Southern California girl that these stories didn’t speak to me.
