Safe Return Doubtful

American Literature – Published 1965

This is an exceptional collection of dark and disturbing Southern Gothic stories from a masterful writer.

O’Connor’s characters are deeply flawed, in a disturbing period of American history, and mostly meet dramatic and painful ends. There are no happy endings here. This is also ann extremely uncomfortable book for 21st century white people to read; the racial divide is so stark. So often it seems, we have been used to just sweeping these things under the carpet.

The stories are a really good example of why literature should not be cleansed. I have read some of these stories before, but this time listened to this as an audio. Different readers read the stories, and with the appropriate accents. The dialogue is often upsetting itself, though it wouldn’t be right for it to be changed.

A consistent flaw in O’Connor’s characters is that they categorise people; Black or White? ‘Good’ white or ‘white trash’? Educated or bumpkin? The downfall of these people who label some as worthy and others as not so worthy is in contrast to the naiveté or self-absorbedness of those who try to prove that they do care about the ‘less fortunate’, they themselves turn out to be deeply flawed as well.
The theme of how we treat others is common to all the stories, of who we think worthy of our kindness, and who of our hatred. O’Connor doesn’t shy from using scathing language when she needs to make a point either. It comes as close to being essential reading as anything does.

It’s really difficult to name a favourite, but the title story would be close to it. And, if the book needs a finale, the last story, Judgement Day, is highly appropriate.

My GoodReads score 5 / 5