In a Shallow Grave

by James Purdy

Book Overview

A marvelous tour de force [about war and reconciliation] that engages as it entertains . . . very impressive.- Publishers Weekly This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0872862348
• ISBN13: 9780872862340
• Release Date: November 1988
• Publisher: City Lights Books
• Length: 140 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

TWO STEPS PAST THE TWILIGHT ZONE

James Purdy is the best kept secret of American literature. Most people I know have never even heard of him. After reading two of his works I have come to the understanding that he is very special and unique. There is something vaguely Russian about him, I mean in the depth of his work that reminds me of Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy. To me, much as the Beatles cranked out classic song after song lasting rougly 2 minutes, so Purdy puts out short books that nevertheless contain all the power of a 600 page epic poem.IN A SHALLOW GRAVE is the story of Garnet Montrose, a WWII vet who was horribly disfigured in an explosion while serving as a soldier. Most of his friends were killed so he suffers the usual guilt complex over why he survived and others did not. His ugliness alienates him to such an extent that he is hardly able to find a nurse to help him with his medical concerns at his home. It's a pretty horrible comment on society that noone wants to look him in the face. Even those that act like they can handle it seem to lose their nerve and run away. It really reminded me a lot of Frankenstein of all things. Here again is the plot of the deformed man with a heart of gold searching for a friend to open his heart to. At this point we are introduced to Quintus Pearch, a young black boy whose mother is dying but still feels some bond with Garnet. You almost feel as though it's some weird form of vestigial slavery that calls to him and makes him stay with Garnet. The primary duty of all his hired boys is to deliver letters from Garnet to Widow Rance, a childhood sweetheart. He writes her letter after letter filled with love but never has the nerve to call on her in person. He feels too ashamed of his looks. Enter the character of Daventry, a fugitive from the law seeking a place to rest. He is hired and the rest of the book is mostly about the relationship between the three men. We come to find there are all kinds of love, both carnal and godly. That's what I found so amazing about the book. There is a lot of spirituality lurking under the surface of it. Purdy writes his books in such a way that it seems like a story told you in your dreams. At times this novel seems surreal, at others transcendant, and sometimes realistic. Purdy's grasp of dialogue is one of the best I have ever read. Read a book by Purdy. You won't regret it.

In a Shallow Grave

Darkly beautiful, inventive, compelling, deeply moving and mesmerizing on so many levels. James is more than an artist of the word, he is an emancipator of the human heart. I honestly have not been so moved by a book for a very long time. I'm still thinking about "shallow grave" weeks after reading it.

One of the best books I've ever read

A strange novel with a special atmosphere : a young man comes back from the Pacific War, huggly face-wounded, and tries to survive lonely in his familial farm on the East Cost, nearby the ocean and its murmur, with his ancient love for a young widow. The most interesting is his ambiguous relations to the boys who enter to his service for little farm works.