On my plane ride to Washington DC last Friday I finished the short but powerful Ironweed by William Kennedy, winner of the Pulitzer in 1984. This book, unlike All the Kings Men struck a really deep emotional chord with me.
The story follows down-on-his-luck bum Franny Phelan through his return to Albany, NY. Franny, a former big league ball player, fled Albany 20 some years before after dropping his baby son accidentally and causing his death. What I found so breathtaking about the novel was the way Kennedy has Franny interact with his past memories as he slowly builds up the courage to reunite with the family he left all those years ago.
Kennedy not only relates Francis's memories through the omniscient narrator, but takes Franny and other supporting characters through fantastical conversations with the dead and visions of what might have been. There are times when the fantasies weave in and out of the narrative so smoothly, you won't even know that the character has been wrapped up in one until 10 pages later.
Kennedy's characters broke my heart with their broken down lives and almost cheerful acceptance of circumstance. They all had great weight in reality and were incredibly easy to relate to, sympathize with, and root for.
Overall, I found the novel an emotional punch to the gut, but in a good way. I highly recommend this one and will be reading it again.
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