My review:
I would call Percy a master of the subtle. His ability to bring out the intricate subtleties of everyday relationships and everyday life is incredible. And he uses this subtlety in The Moviegoer not only as a literary tool but a ministerial one as well. How delicately does he guide the reader to the Christian messages he wishes to convey! There are no outright Christian or Catholic signposts anywhere in the story – they’re instead interwoven with the mundane of daily life. Nobody in this story is exceptional. But the message to break out of a “monotonous” life in order to live rather than just exist is there for the sensitive soul to take in. “Search!” is another one of his messages.
In this way (with respect to the hidden, subtle messages) I would compare him to Flannery O’Connor, another Southern US writer. I would also say that he has been inspired by Heidegger’s notions of “being-in-the-world” and similar notions of existentialism.
I also liked how Percy quite aptly captured the modern man in the protagonists of the story. Kate, Binx, etc. are quintessential contemporary people. You can see that Percy is very open to the world and wishes to express a desire for everyone else to be likewise too. Because despite modern man being lost, he is still beautiful and interesting. And if we can’t help him, we can still sure as hell get inspired by him. God hasn’t forsaken contemporary man and in many ways this man puts us Christians to shame. I think it’s important to see this and I’m certain Percy did, as the last page of the book’s epilogue testifies.
I took off 1 star because although this is a good book, it comes nowhere near the likes of Dickens or C. Bronte.
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