dtotheitothea

Just finished Benighted by J.B. Priestly (1927).

So many ups & downs. I love to find older works that may have introduced the tropes that so many of the modern books are built upon. / it was always going to end this way /

Pendrel for one, the typical tragic hero that gets a glimpse of warmth only to be sent into darkness moments after. Made me think of Orpheus who was promised a life full of love only to lose it in the blink of an eye.

Loved the weirdness of the relationship between Gladys & sr. Whatshisname and how easily she gave it up only for it to be turned into a different type of caring towards the end.

Not the biggest fan of the female characters in this book, but then it was true to the time I believe. I do love Gladys and the way she is honest about her lifestyle and the emptiness she feels. Not sure if it was meant to be judgemental or accepting.

What is interesting, is the tension this book builds up at the beginning, promising something mysterious and perhaps even supernatural. The payoff was not the way I expected, I would enjoy it more of there were more clues scattered at the beginning or perhaps I just failed to notice them. But the atmosphere and the description of the environment was absolutely immersing. Furthermore, the way Pendrel smiles and laughes and makes stupid jokes, knowing the loss he has endured really hits it on the nail.

There are many a paragraph I would like to remember from this book, but this one feels just a bit too raw and emotional not to share.

“ People wonder what's the matter with the world these days. They forget that all the best fellows, the men who'd have been in their prime now, who'd have been giving us a lead in everything, are dead [in the Great War]. If you could bring 'em all back... hundreds and hundreds of thousands of 'em, you'd soon see the difference they'd make in the place. But they're dead, and a lot of people, very different sort of people, are alive and kicking. “ - J.B. Priestley, Benighted