The Town

 

William Faulkner's birthday was a few weeks ago (September 25) and I started rereading book two of the "Snopes" trilogy, "The Town". I got sidetracked by some Richard III stuff, but I got back to it today to finish it. I love the Snopes trilogy. Because I tend to reread "The Sound and the Fury" so much, I tend to forget how funny William Faulkner's books are. Take his description of Eula Varner Snopes, for instance: "So when we first saw Mrs Snopes walking in the Square giving off that terrifying impression that in another second her flesh itself would burn her garments off, leaving not even a veil of ashes between her and the light of day..." Anybody could say she was beautiful, but it's inadequate. Eula was more than that. 

Flem Snopes married a pregnant Eula Varner and gave her bastard child his name. Whether is was a good name or not is debatable, depending on who you ask in Jefferson, Mississippi. The Snopeses are either scheming or hapless, but never harmless. Upon returning from their honeymoon with a six month old that can already walk, Eula takes up with the bank president, Manfred de Spain. Everyone in town knows and waits for Flem to do something, but he doesn't. Flem's playing the long game, and no one does it better. Once Eula's daughter, Linda, gets to be a teenager, Gavin Stevens, the county lawyer, befriends her and tries to better her mind and convince her to go to college somewhere far away. It ends with Eula's suicide and Flem consenting to let Linda go to New York, with some very funny moments in between (the rake and used condom corsage, for one). Faulkner knows how to paint a vivid picture, that's for sure!