Okay, there’s some catching up to do.
I’ve been writing pretty hard over the last few months, and haven’t kept on top of reviews, which is pretty poor of me.
In September, I read The Devil Makes Three by Lucy Blue, which I reviewed for Ginger Nuts of Horror. The review is right here:
Then I read John Steinbeck’s The Pearl.
It’s okay. The writing is strong. I struggle with this message though. A diver, Kino, lives a simple life with his wife and child. One night, the child is bitten by a scorpion .There are concerns whether the child will live, and the local doctor refuses to see the child.
The next day, when diving for pearls, Kino finds the biggest pearl he has ever seen. He starts to dream of having the money to pay the doctor to save his son, but also of a new life.
But this is a story about greed. Everyone wants a piece of Kino and will do whatever they can to get hold of the pearl.
It’s a sad story in which there are very few supporting characters who aren’t corrupt, which I guess is kind of the point.
There’s an overall message that I didn’t like though. There’s an idea that Kino would have been better off if the pearl never came his way, that he should have never dared to dream, should have been satisfied with his lot… and frankly, that’s a load of nonsense. What happens to Kino and his family is as result of the greed of others, and much less as result of his own actions. I’m not a huge fan of the idea that we should be content with what we have (see also It’s A Wonderful Life) because basically it tells us to accept the status quo, to not upset the apple cart. This would be fine if we lived in a fair society, but we don’t. Thus, the message comes across a little like capitalist propaganda, telling the little guy not to cause a fuss and to leave the massively wealthy alone rather than promoting a fairer society and greater equality.