What the blurb says:
“William Stoner is born at the end of the nineteenth century into a dirt-poor Missouri farming family. Sent to the state university to study agronomy, he instead falls in love with English literature and embraces a scholar’s life, so different from the hardscrabble existence he has known. And yet, as years pass, Stoner envounters a succession of disappointments […] Driven ever deeper within himself, Stoner rediscovers the stoic silence of his forebears and confronts an essential solitude.”
Warning: Spoiler ahead. Read with caution 🙂
Hauntingly beautiful
There are certain books that simply touch my heart. Also, they make me physically sick, not because they are that awful, but because I feel much too close to the main protagonist(s). Accordingly, if something bad happens, the resulting tension seems to much for me to bear. Yes, I know, this sounds ridiculous and oh-so-unprofessional, but some books are written for the heart more than for the brains, I guess. Also, welcome to my world, where we love reading and try to handle our bookish/nerdy emotions the best way possible…and get a grip on our hyperfocus reading moments 🙂
Stoner by John Williams is such a book — a book for the heart and mind. Its story and language got me intrigued. I love books like that, written in a clear and sort of quiet language, with a simple and clear narrative tone. (Oh how difficult it is to describe books I love). Jack Kerouac’s The Town and the City, Jack London’s Martin Eden, John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, and Joyce Carol Oates’ A Garden of Earthly Delights are just a few of the books I’m talking about “books like that.” The power of the story told, the story of a lifetime. With all its highs and lows, and everything in between.
A quiet life
William Stoner, the son of poor farmers, initially attended the University of Missouri to study agriculture. Yet soon he follows his heart and switches to literature. His professor and mentor, Archer Sloane, encourages him to take up teaching himself. With the support of his lifelong friend Gordon Finch and against all odds, he teaches classic literature until his death. Throughout, he lives a quiet life with only a few decisive points. Of those, the death of his friend David Masters and his affair with PhD candidate Katherine Driscoll seem to be the only ones that truly touch his heart. His failed marriage, his daughter’s difficult fate, and his stalled career do not.
The clear and powerful prose left me with the impression of being part of this man’s life. Though it’s a third-person narration, sometimes it seems like Stoner himself, with a calm voice, opens up to the reader. Marrying a woman who despises him the moment they start their new life together; clashing with his superior over a mediocre student, having his daughter pretty much taken away from him.
All this is narrated in a melancholic tone, a tone that reminds me of Bartleby. But a Bartleby who forgot how to say “I prefer not to” and rather goes through life thinking “Well, well, this too shall pass.” I can’t remember the last time I stumbled upon such an actively passive character, but with such a beautiful voice, even though it is not his own.
His wife is one of the ugliest characters imaginable and thus, of course, perfect the way she is. So too is Lomax, Stoner’s antagonist at the university, blind of hatred for Stoner over his rejection of one of his protegés, a mediocre student with nothing much to speak for him, except his mentor. But even though he gets irritated at times, Stoner seems much too passive to lash out at anyone. Only once does he challenge and conquer Lomax.
The only way he reacts to his wife Edith’s delusions is by having an affair with Katherine, with whom he experiences love, passion, and — most importantly — physical and intellectual companionship. The affair ends when Lomax threatens to destroy Katherine’s career. The only memory of their togetherness will be Katherine dedicating her book to William years later.
Moved to tears
I know it sounds pathetic, but I cried after finishing this book. What Stoner experiences throughout his life may not be as tragic as what many others go through. It may indeed be — in a way — rather common for those times and people in his position. Still, I was deeply touched by his dignity — though this term may be overused, I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Never once losing his temper, overreacting in any way even though it would have been perfectly understandable. Never.
A quiet man, a quiet life. Destruction, loss, sadness, and desperation all around him, twice, for some time, even love — first from his daughter, pure and carefree, later from Katherine, pure and romantic. Still, all quiet, calm, unobtrusive.
Stoner by John Williams is a five-star read, highly recommended. Hope you love it as much as I did.