The Runaway Soul

by Harold Brodkey

Book Overview

Acclaimed New Yorker writer Brodkey set the literary world ablaze with this much-talked-about debut novel--a literary tour de force about an adopted child in the early 1930s who is raised in the St. Louis household of his cousins. "Impressive. . . . The work of a lifetime. . . . As haunted by love, death, and madness as The Oresteia".--Washington Post Book World.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060975040
• ISBN13: 9780060975043
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 835 Pages
• Weight: 1.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A Good Story, but Hard to Get into

This story about Wiley Silenowics, adopted and raised with his cousins, takes place in the 1930s and I think Brodkey nails the period and the characters. Though it was hard for me to get into at first, after about fifty pages or so I found I was enjoying myself. I like the author's use of language.

It's almost too much.....almost.

When a novel starts out with a young boy masturbating and his thoughts during(not what you'd imagine) and after, you know something big is coming. Whether it's going to be shocking or if it's going to be something else is hard to tell. But the author's got your attention. And he keeps it for the most part. The novel encompasses the life of Wiley Silenowicz. And it's almost like experiencing every thought, feeling, and sense that he has.

A Savory Journey

What a book! Brodkey's intimate portrayal of his characters remains true. This streaming-conscious book is a challenging work of prose that begs the reader to take it slowly, savor the words, feel the emotions, understand the characters. Brodkey executes this book beautifully, forming a triumphantly orignial and poignant story. I'd find myself, after reading a few chapters, putting the book down to revel and contemplate the viewpoints of the characters and my own. Time reading this book is time well spent.