(from 2011)
The Movie-goer by Walker Percy
This
book won the National Book Award in 1962. It is a brilliant exploration
of a young man searching for both a way and the inclination to live a
meaningful existence. Binx Bolling has returned from the war, taken up a
job as a stock broker, and spends most of his spare time seducing his
secretaries and attending movies. The story takes place in a New Orleans
that seems totally Southern and 
certainly far from the New Orleans we think of today.
A
lot of the book examines a certain notion of exceptionalism and honor
southerners had at that time. Binx is repeatedly reminded of this by his
aunt and various other characters in the book. This is the sort of book
you will think about long after you close it. What Binx does to
alleviate the ennui he suffers may not be persuasive as a cure, but it
requires him to put himself and his narcissism aside.
I was a great Walker Percy fan once upon a time. Some of his work has fantastical or science fiction elements: The Thanatos Syndrome and Love in the Ruins being two.
3 comments:
I enjoyed the Moviegoer when I read it last year, and that was the first book by Walker Percy I had read. Glen passed several books by Percy on to me, and I plan to read them all.
This does sound like an interesting exploration of a certain sort of coming of age, Patti. I think we do go through those periods of self-exploration, and this sounds like a solid picture of that.
I need to reread THE MOVIEGOER. Walker Percy is an underrated writer for sure!
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