429. Dangling Man

Dangling Man
Saul Bellow
1944
Around 190 pages

I don't really like Saul Bellow, but of course, the List isn't just going to politely leave it at that. This is the first of 7 Bellow novels on this blog. 7 is indeed a magical number, and maybe my opinion will be transfigured by the end of this.

Joseph writes in his diary about his family and friends while waiting to be drafted in Chicago. It certainly captures the mood of the moment, when everybody was a bunch of danglers.

I appreciate Bellow's brevity and he nailed the confusion of the setting. Not really a fresh premise at this point, but exceptional as a first novel.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

The television show The Crown has an episode titled, "The Dangling Man" in reference to this work.

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