Classics Considered

Storm was an American novel I had high hopes for, and on some levels it impressed me greatly. In the 1940s, George R Stewart crafted a visionary story of a Californian storm dubbed “Maria” and her impact on the lives and work of everyday people and animals, from electrical engineers to children and—a wild boar? A dash of whimsy and philosophical asides poses gentle questions about how our lives and the environment around us are delicately (and mysteriously) connected. We are particularly drawn into the travails of the JM (Junior Meteorologist) and other mid-century men at their work, evoking the pride and ambitions of FDR-era infrastructure projects and conservation efforts.

Unfortunately, Stewart’s penchant for lengthy technical descriptions, with no accompanying diagrams, confused even this STEM graduate and storm enthusiast. Though I have enjoyed similar elements in works such as Moby-Dick, Shackleton’s South, and Seven Pillars of Wisdom, I found myself struggling to stay committed to 360 pages of detailed explanations of meteorology, road crew activity, and more. It was difficult at times to visualize the work Stewart was so passionate about, and were it not for my West Coast background, I’d also have struggled to understand his varying and vast geographical references to sometimes obscure US regions or cities (Pocatello!). Overall, I found Storm to be a remarkable novel but far too much of a good thing—a short story or novella would have suited me much better.

A short book that still felt too long, Snow Country has many of the components of a great novel, including vivid nature writing, contrast between old and new ways of living, and introspective melancholy. Sadly these elements do not save it from its insufferable protagonist and (as others have pointed out) the lack of a clear conflict. If I had to sum up the story, it is that men in this time period always win, and I mean that in the most matter-of-fact way. But that does not negate the female character’s seeming determination to pursue unhappiness with reckless abandon. Since we only really see the story through male eyes, it is hard to know if this is even the reality of her situation or just another moonlit delusion of the protagonist. I learned much about geishas and nothing substantial about the heroine, because she—as well as her younger friend Yoko—is doomed to be a ghost of flesh in his estimation. Video review coming soon…