3.5 stars, rounded up.

This is a difficult review to write, because I believe I should have felt more than I did while reading this poignant account of the death of a young father. I’m not sure if the lack of connection was my fault or Agee’s, but I am going to assume it was mine.

The descriptions of the relationship between the father, Jay, and his son, Rufus, are touching and very real. Since the book is autobiographical in nature, Agee having lost his own father at the age of six, they no doubt ring true because they are. Perhaps it is the reactions of the other adults--the mother, aunt and mother’s parents--that don’t quite fit for me, but then I have never been the mother of small children to whom I must give the sad news that their father is gone. Surely every person handles this kind of grief in their own way.

I have experienced loss, however, both expected and unexpected, and I know that the shock of losing someone who is young and vital and expected to live for years to come is quite different than that of a life closing in age. I’m sure the loss of a father at so young an age leaves an impression that affects everything going forward. I felt so much for this boy, who is already tackling the obstacles of trying to fit into a group that continually ridicules you, but because I could not get close enough to the others to care I felt there was something missing.

The events of this story are sorrowful, bitter, painful and heartbreaking, but my own feelings were sympathy rather than empathy. I recognized the tragedy; I just couldn’t feel it. For his beautiful and lyrical writing style, all kudos to Agee. For his willingness to explore a subject that must have been wretched to revisit, kudos as well.
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Poignant, painting with words. ( )

I'm not sure what's a spoiler here. I mean, it's pretty clear that the book is about family death from the summary and the title, but I'll put the whole thing under a spoiler just in case.

A long and winding book about death and the effects it has on an extended family. It's also about class, religion and a child's longing for connection in a world he doesn't yet understand.

The story moves at a glacial pace and I'm glad. The beginning of the story shows what life is like with Jay (the father); the middle gives all the characters time to adjust to their new lives without him; and the end brings home the finality of death as grief pours from the family.

Rufus is a pretty good kid in the beginning. It's clear that he loves his family and is squaring up to be a solid adult, albeit one with a bunch of internal conflicts, especially over religion. He's got a poor sense of reading other people because he doesn't understand why they would be cruel or would viciously tease another kid. Welcome to the world, kid. Trolls and assholes exist and it's best to ignore them and move on.

He is stoic as an observer in the second act until he isn't. Eventually his anger kicks in when the adults begin to shunt him aside. It's that anger that brings him to the funeral and the third part of the book where Rufus looks for a father-like connection with other male relatives. The book introduces and throws away relatives and friends as unworthy (pompous, pretentious, slow, etc.) in Rufus's eyes until someone is introduced that tries to see the world through his eyes. His Uncle Andrew embraces him as an individual, detached from all others and shows him promise.

In general, kids generally don't remember the details of place and when they do, they are often wrong or exaggerated. It's often a clever writing device.

The physical details of this book were on target. Rufus describes big things and is frequently confused by them. His character rings true for his age and the era in which he lived.

I laughed when the kids came up with the idea that they were 'orphans'. The adults around their mother weren't horrified by the idea that they'd been 'orphaned' by their father's death, despite their mother standing right there exclaiming that they were most certainly not orphans!

Later on other people call them orphans, much to the dismay of his mother.

The word orphan has been so romanticized and bastardized through literature. I loved the way that Agee poked fun at it. ( )

The word darkness is found about 45 times in this novel, which is the primary feeling I got while reading. Mary Lynch Follett, a profoundly religious woman, endures the death of her young husband as she prepares to manage single-mothering her two young children, Rufus and Catherine. Jay Follett, her husband, had been called to the country by his alcoholic brother Ralph to visit their supposedly terminally ill father. Unfortunately, it turns out that Ralph has not sized up the situation accurately, and Jay gets into a fatal car accident on the way home from his unnecessary visit.

Mary’s brother Andrew identifies Jay’s body and obtains the accident details to share with Mary, their parents, and Aunt Hannah. All provide varying levels of support for Mary as she tells her children about their father’s death and copes with the tragedy. Mary’s Catholic faith, which she does not share with Jay and all family members, is an asset and a handicap as the dreadful hours leading up to the funeral.

James Agee’s Pulitzer-winning book makes quite a statement about love and tragedy. Religious conflict within the family provided a significant theme for the novel. As the story advances, it forced me to wonder about the value of organized religion, especially the Catholic church. The children, ages six and three, are depicted with very sophisticated thoughts. I thought about how many adults still underestimate the minds and perceptions of children. Agee seemed concerned and aware that euphemisms and incomplete explanations often baffle children and lead to lifelong misunderstandings and resentments.
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Heartbreaking. ( )