101 Book Project #3 - A Death in the Family by James Agee

A Death in the Family, by James Agee, takes place in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the summer of 1915. It chronicles the events surrounding the Follet family, a low-middle class white family of four who does their best to make ends meet until death unexpectedly shatters their world. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1958, and stands as one of the best examples of American autobiographical fiction.

Agee’s writing style can only be described as lyrical. When he depicts the family sitting on the porch one late summer evening, no detail is taken for granted. The smell of the grass, the sound of the crickets, the look of the stars. He makes it a point to entirely immerse the reader in the setting. Then, as soon as we are comfortable in the small world of the Follet family and their routines, he then destroys that content world by introducing death. It is a sudden, jolting glimpse into the frailty of human life, and how easily it can be disrupted, how easily it can all end. It speaks of morality, and regrets, and weakness, and loss. Most of all, it paints a painfully realistic picture of the effect death has on life.

Quote: “Now is the night one blue dew.”

A full review is posted on my website for those who might be interested.