Desperate Times: Stories From The Great Depression by Cornell Woolrich

The Great Depression of the 1930's is an era that has always interested me.  I am also a fan of the writer Cornell Woolrich (1903 - 1968).  And so a collection of Woolrich's short stories written during and about the Great Depression, sign me up!  

There are 8 stories in Desperate Times and 7 of the stories center around characters who are down on their luck.  If times were different these characters would never have resorted to murder, faking their own death, fraud, identity theft etc.  But the bad economy as they see it has left them no choice.  

One of the stories for example, Borrowed Crime, involves  a father who needs money to save his son who is dying of TB.  The father reads the newspaper and learns that the police are offering $1,000 leading to the arrest of a killer.  The father decides he will confess to the murder he didn't committ and collect the reward money.  Needless to say it doesn't go well.

And that's a theme throughout these seven stories.  Each of these characters decides to do something illegal thinking it will get them out of the desperate situation they find themselves in only to discover after they have crossed the line that they are in much worse shape now and can't go back.  

The 8th story, Even God Felt The Depression, was written by Cornell Woolrich near the end of his life.  It's his autobiographical look back on what it was like in NYC in the 1930's  trying to make it as a writer:  

"The nights were even more excruciating. To me those long lines of lights that flamed along the Avenues as far as the eye could see were never garish (as they probably were) but glamorous, seeming to hold out a promise of wonderment and magic, and I wanted to be out where they were. Everyone else was, in droves ... and there I sat, in a solitary room, locked in the lonely pool of light cast by a desk lamp. But I wouldn’t leave the desk. I almost had to grab it with both hands and hang onto it for dear life, almost had to hook my ankles around its legs to stay on the chair, but I wouldn’t leave it, no I wouldn’t leave it" 

Woolrich's hard work and perseverance paid off.  He is considered today to be one of the great crime novelists of the mid-twentieth century.  I would say though that if you are new to Woolrich, Desperate Times is not the best place to begin.  I enjoyed these stories and they gave me a sense of the kind of novels Woolrich would become famous for in the 1940's.  But they are not on the same level as The Bride Wore Black, Deadline At Dawn, Walz Into Darkness etc all written in the 1940's when Woolrich really hit his stride.  

I have read and recommend The Bride Wore Black and I will definitely be checking out Deadline At Dawn and Walz Into Darkness in the not too distant future.  

The Shining by Stephen King

The Shining (1977) is my first Stephen King novel which I chose because it's one of his most popular and critically acclaimed books.  It's a horror novel but also a tremendously interesting family drama centering around three characters: Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy and their five year old son Danny who has psychic abilities.

Jack is a writer and a recovering alcoholic.  He hasn't had a drink in two years since the night when in a drunken rage he accidentally broke his son Danny's arm.  Wendy almost left Jack after that but he vowed to stop drinking and he hasn't had a drink since.  

Jack continues to feel guilt about what he did to Danny.  These days he is a good father and Danny loves him.  But even sober Jack's temper can be a problem.  It's why he lost his last job as a teacher at a prep school. And when The Shining begins Jack has a new job as a caretaker for the winter at the Overlook Hotel located high up in the Colorado Rockies. The Overlook closes down during the winter months and so Jack, Wendy and Danny will be the hotel's only residents.  

It's not an ideal situation but Jack and his family need the money. Jack is also hoping to use the time at the Overlook to finish writing his play.  Wendy and Danny are not thrilled about accompanying Jack to this isolated environment but they want to be supportive. However it soon becomes clear that moving into the Overlook was a very bad idea.

Stephen King has done a marvelous job creating the characters of Jack, Wendy and Danny.  And there is also Dick Halloran who works at the Overlook. Like Danny, Dick Hallorann is psychic, the shining he calls it.  He is going home for the winter along with all of the other guests and employees.  But Hallorann tells Danny that if he needs him to reach out through his psychic powers and he will come back to the Overlook.

I really liked Dick Hallorann. Wendy and Danny are also very well drawn. I would say though that the most fascinating character is Jack Torrance. You can't say he is likeable exactly but he has good in him.  But Jack's emotions can run from remorse to self pity to rage and in a haunted hotel with evil forces at work it's a powder keg situation.

The Shining is a horror novel and things can get pretty intense, particularly as you near the end.  But it is also a wonderfully written book, gripping, with great characterization.  I am glad I chose The Shining for my first Stephen King novel.  And there is a sequel, Doctor Sleep, published in 2013.

Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

"I remembered the question I had asked myself after the attack: Could our happiness survive such a blow? Standing there, on the stage of the Chautauqua amphitheater, I knew the answer. Yes, we had reconstructed our happiness, even if imperfectly. Even on this blue-sky day, I knew it was not the cloudless thing we had known before. It was a wounded happiness, and there was, and perhaps always would be, a shadow in the corner of it. But it was a strong happiness nevertheless, and as we embraced, I knew it would be enough" - Salman Rushdie, Knife

On August 12, 2022 Salman Rushdie was giving a talk at an outdoor event in upstate New York when a deranged young man rushed on stage and stabbed Rushdie 15 times almost killing him.  It was such a terrible crime. Since 1989 when Iran issued the fatwa Rushdie has lived a life that none of us can imagine.  But I had thought it was over with and that Rushdie would be able to live in peace.  And then came that day.  

I was hesitant to read Knife but I shouldn't have been.  Rushdie writes about the attack and his painful recovery and that can be difficult to read.  The attack blinded him in one eye and there were other serious injuries.  But the book is also about Rushdie's recovery, his inner strength and the support of his family.  His wife Eliza who has been with him every step of the way.  His sister, his two sons who rushed to New York to be by his side. Rushdie's friends and the hospital staff also helped him greatly.

Salman Rushdie is an excellent writer.  Knife is thoughtful and humorous at times.  He writes about many things in his memoir, his childhood, his life as a writer, his friendships, religion, politics, his thoughts on the importance of privacy.  Rushdie has led a full life.  The attack is not something he will forget but he is amazingly resilient and  continues to have good people with him.  And so a book I was afraid to read turned out to be quite inspiring.

Three Years In A Walmart Parking Lot by Sharon Waters

Sharon Waters was 69 years of age and could no longer afford the upkeep of the house she had been living in with her partner of 15 years.  Their relationship had ended and so Sharon went looking for an apartment but most apartments would not take her two dogs Crickett and Magic and her cat Milo.  Sharon's children were busy with their own lives and she didn't want to be a burden.  

And so Sharon sold her home, bought an RV and took off with her pets, traveling south, sometimes staying a few days with friends but mostly exploring the small towns and spending her nights in the RV with Cricket, Magic and Milo in Walmart Super Center parking lots.  It was a life changing experience.  Proof that even when we get older there are still adventures out there if we can find the courage.

A good deal of Three Years In A Walmart Parking Lot (2019) is taken up with the maintenance of Sharon's RV which is not easy.  But Sharon deserves so much credit for teaching herself what she needed to know.  The part of the book that spoke to me the most was what Sharon learned about herself.  Here are a few passages I noted:

"I liked the sense of isolation and invisibility, hiding in plain sight, removed from anything threatening. There were no stern looks of disapproval, no mail with bad news or phone calls I didn’t want to take. I was inconspicuous, unseen, untraceable. I had my cell phone but rarely answered it". 

"I enjoyed starting the day with hot coffee"

"Anything I’m not looking forward to gets done first—I just do it, with my mind on the completion, not the drudgery of the task"

Sharon Waters after three years moved into an apartment that would take her pets.  She makes a good case that RV living is not sustainable long term because as the years go by the RV breaks down, needs repairs, gas is expensive and places that will let you park for the night are dwindling.  But Sharon does not regret her three years on the road and I too am glad she took the journey and chose to share what she learned.

Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera

When Listen For The Lie (2024) by Amy Tintera begins Lucy Chase is living in Los Angeles working for a financial corporation and keeping a low profile.  Lucy's coworkers see her as standoffish but she is harboring a dark secret. 

Five years prior when Lucy was living in her hometown of Plumpton, Texas she went to a wedding reception with her best friend Savannah (Savvy) Harper.  At some point the two young women left the reception and Savvy was later found bludgeoned to death in a wooded area.  Lucy was seen shortly after Savvy's murder walking down a dirt road dazed and covered in Savvy's blood.

Lucy was questioned by the police at the time but she had no memory of what happened that night and still doesn't.  The police decided not to prosecute because there was not enough evidence. But the town of Plumpton never believed that Lucy had no memory of what happened.  They believed she killed Savvy.

Lucy leaves Plumpton for Los Angeles hoping for a new start.  But now, five years later, a popular true crime podcaster has decided to reopen the Savannah Harper murder case.  Lucy's employers in LA find out who she is and she is fired.

And to make it worse Lucy's grandmother calls her up hoping that Lucy can return to Plumpton for her 80th birthday.  It's the last thing Lucy wants to do but her grandmother is the only person in Plumpton who believes Lucy. And so she decides to return to Plumpton only to find the podcaster Ben Owen there as well interviewing the locals and wanting an interview with Lucy most of all.  

Listen For the Lie is narrated by Lucy Chase in a cynical dark humor sort of way but it's a shield because Lucy remains devastated by what happened to her best friend.  She genuinely can't remember that night.  And she begins to trust Ben because he is committed to solving cases and has had success in the past.  Lucy is at a point where she has to know what happened to Savvy, wherever that may lead.

I thought Listen For The Lie was top notch as a thriller and I am not alone.  30,000 reviews on Amazon with 88% of them 4 and 5 stars.  Very good reviews too from the critics.  The thriller genre can be a hit or a miss.  But here it's definitely a hit.  I was never bored, everything made sense to me and I enjoy novels with true crime podcasting plots.  4 stars for me.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

"The story revolves around a portrait of Dorian Gray painted by Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian's and an artist infatuated with Dorian's beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and is soon enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian desires to sell his soul to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and visually records every one of Dorian's sins". - Amazon blurb

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) by Oscar Wilde is book two for my classics challenge, choose a gothic classic, hosted by Ann at Search For Wonder.  I thought I would be reading Dragonwyck by Anya Seton but I decided to go with The Picture of Dorian Gray instead.

And having read Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde a few years ago I knew what a talented and witty writer he was but I was taken aback by the brilliance of The Picture of Dorian Gray.  It's one of those classics where you know why it's a classic.  Here for example is the cynical Lord Henry Wotton who upon first meeting young Dorian at the unveiling of his portrait tells him: 

"Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtues are not real to him. His sins, if there are such things as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of some one else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him. The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly—that is what each of us is here for. People are afraid of themselves, nowadays ... Courage has gone out of our race. Perhaps we never really had it. The terror of society, which is the basis of morals, the terror of God, which is the secret of religion—these are the two things that govern us" 

The irony is that Lord Henry who warns Dorian not to be influenced by others makes sure at their first meeting to influence him in a very dangerous way:

"The moment I met you I saw that you were quite unconscious of what you really are, of what you really might be. There was so much in you that charmed me that I felt I must tell you something about yourself. I thought how tragic it would be if you were wasted. For there is such a little time that your youth will last—such a little time"

And it's that advise that puts fear into Dorian about losing his beauty and youth, a fear that was not there before Lord Henry came into his life.  Dorian now terrified of growing old says a prayer to remain always young.  He is granted his wish.  And Dorian spurred on by Lord Henry's worldview begins to lead a life of debauchery. He remains young and beautiful as the years go by but his portrait, locked away in the attic, becomes more and more hideous. 

Lord Henry is a scoundrel but I didn't finish the book feeling empathy for Dorian Gray either.  Lord Henry certainly influenced Dorian but Basil Hallward the painter of Dorian's portrait was a true friend to Dorian and he warned him about Lord Henry but Dorian would not listen.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a great novel and I do recommend it.  But one thing I will say is that in quite a number of 19th century classics you will run into prejudice and unfortunately it's here in Dorian Gray as well.  It's a shame because this book is brilliant but I am glad we live in somewhat more enlightened times.

The Sky Unwashed by Irene Zabytko

I was scrolling through Amazon a few months ago and discovered The Sky Unwashed (2000) by Irene Zabytko.  I had never heard of the author but the plot and the atmospheric cover drew me in and I knew this was a novel that I would be reading.

The Sky Unwashed is set in 1986 in the rural Ukranian village of Starylis.  For generations the residents of Starylis made their living through farming.  The older residents keep the traditions and customs.  In comparison many of the younger people scoff at the traditions of their parents and grandparents.  They want a  more modern life and to be able to afford nice clothes and new appliances.

Life in Starylis is not that different from other rural villages across Ukraine with one historically tragic exception.  Starylis is just down the road from the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl where many of the residents of Starylis report to work. 

The Sky Unwashed begins at a wedding celebration which everyone in the village is attending.  Marusia Petrenko bakes her famous wedding bread for the occasion and is very pleased at the compliments she is getting.  Marusia who is in her 70's is a sweet person and at the reception there is drinking and dancing.  And then Marusia's son Yurko and some of the other men at the party leave to work their nightshift jobs at the Chernobyl plant and as the Amazon blurb tells us:

"In the morning, the air has a strange metallic taste. The cat is oddly listless. The priest doesn't show up for services. Yurko doesn't come home from work. Nobody know what's happened (and they won't for many days), but things have changed for the Petrenkos-forever"

The majority of The Sky Unwashed takes place a year later when Marusia decides after all she has been through to move back to her home in Starylis.  It's a sealed off area, closed to the public.  But Marusia decides that if she is going to die anywhere it will be in her home.  And this is based on a true story of grandmothers ("The Babushkas of Chernobyl") who returned to their homes, tried to plant new gardens and would not listen to the authorities when ordered to leave.

The Sky Unwashed is moving, funny at times and sad.  But despite the sadness I am glad I read this novel.  Irene Zabytko has a nice writing style and Marusia is an inspiring character.