A review by reggiewoods
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Set in a small, unspecified, southern town, McCullers’ debut novel is timeless because of how wonderfully she captures the need her characters feel to connect with another human being. All of the characters share some connection with John Singer, a deaf-mute who the other characters project their own perceptions upon. McCullers manages to tackle many issues prominent in America at the time; race relations, gender roles, labor, fascism, etc… Her writing is a pleasure to read, drawing you into the inner world of each of her characters while somehow maintaining an objective third-person narration. McCullers is a part of the southern canon that you don’t hear much about, I suspect because of how radically she tackled the pressing issues of her time.