This may possibly be one of the strangest books I’ve ever read. Even now, I'm not sure I like it. This is yet another book I read for grad school, so that's why it's included.
O’Connor’s use of character development in this story was really amazing. Most of the characters – possibly all – are pretty much slimebags; they are all constantly doing things that are mean or swindling or downright creepy. But they are still incredibly compelling. I found myself on their side(s) in a lot of events. Of course, a lot of events in this book are also extremely creepy, but that's just how O'Connor played everything out. And the discrepancies between how the characters see their own actions vs. how the outside world sees their actions was interesting, especially since O’Connor showed this is such a subtle way. There is something darkly humorous about this novel, something that amuses me for the very reason that I don’t think I’m supposed to be laughing.
There is a lot of material for that mix of humor and contradiction in the character of Hazel Motes. I will frankly admit that I do not like this character but somehow, that did not stop me from becoming absorbed in his story (which is surprising – normally, if I don’t like the main character, I have a really hard time finishing the book). I'm not really sure how to explain this book. Hazel is a war veteran who, upon returning home and finding that his family is gone, tries to re-start his life by founding a church -- except that his church is The Church Without Christ, which creates a bizarre contradiction of sensibilities in this novel. Hazel is also fascinated with/stalking a street preacher and his daughter, so the Church Without Christ becomes even stranger.
Hazel doesn't get any lesson confusing as the story goes on; by the end, he is wrapping his chest with barbed wire and filling his shoes with broken glass as some sort of self-punishment -- even though he has been obsessed with his own "purity" for much of the early part of the book (and despite his own insanely judgmental personality). I'm not really sure why he does this and it never really gets explained. The book overall is something more like a descent into madness.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone unless I knew that they were specifically looking for something very strange and... well, I'm not really sure what else they would be looking for. Maybe if they were having some kind of religious crisis. Maybe. I don't have an answer to this book, or to its potential audience. I think any readers have to make up their own minds.
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