3.5
Duane's Depressed
ByPublisher Description
Funny, sad, full of wonderful characters and the word-perfect dialogue of which he is the master, McMurtry brings the Thalia saga to an end with Duane confronting depression in the midst of plenty.
Surrounded by his children, who all seem to be going through life crises involving sex, drugs, and violence; his wife, Karla, who is wrestling with her own demons; and friends like Sonny, who seem to be dying, Duane can't seem to make sense of his life anymore. He gradually makes his way through a protracted end-of-life crisis of which he is finally cured by reading Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, a combination of penance, and prescription from Dr. Carmichael that somehow works.
Duane's Depressed is the work of a powerful, mature artist, with a deep understanding of the human condition, a profound ability to write about small-town life, and perhaps the surest touch of any American novelist for the tangled feelings that bind and separate men and women.
Surrounded by his children, who all seem to be going through life crises involving sex, drugs, and violence; his wife, Karla, who is wrestling with her own demons; and friends like Sonny, who seem to be dying, Duane can't seem to make sense of his life anymore. He gradually makes his way through a protracted end-of-life crisis of which he is finally cured by reading Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, a combination of penance, and prescription from Dr. Carmichael that somehow works.
Duane's Depressed is the work of a powerful, mature artist, with a deep understanding of the human condition, a profound ability to write about small-town life, and perhaps the surest touch of any American novelist for the tangled feelings that bind and separate men and women.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesDuane's Depressed Reviews
3.5
“4.5 stars.
I was very hesitant going into this after reading the crazy mess that was "Texasville," but honestly this might be one of my favorite books I've read this year. Duane is in such a completely different place from the beginning of this novel than the end of it. Poor guy. He decides one day that he's going to stop driving and start walking. Eventually, after lots of therapy, he realizes that this choice was more about the dissatisfaction he feels with his life and the terrifying feeling that he's wasted his life. If "Texasville" was all about jokes, this book is all about heart and what it means to be alive.
"Duane's Depressed" does a great job of immersing us in Duane's feelings and the small town that he lives in. The first two-thirds of the book was my favorite as we watched him try to break up his mundane, routine-driven life and combat the nosiness of his neighbors and family who were all baffled as to why he's turned his life upside down. I loved that my favorite Thalia resident, Karla, returns along with most of the other characters (RIP Jacey).
Unfortunately, I did start reading both of the sequels to this installment and had to put them both down. "When the Light Goes" felt more like a weird fan fiction about Duane's love life and "Rhino Ranch" just didn't go anywhere for me. I think these books work best as a trilogy anyway.
I think this would make a great book to circle back to in a few years and see how time has changed my perspective on it. It's a stark contrast to the coming-of-age story of these characters in "Last Picture Show" and I've loved watching these small-town families and the town of Thalia grow and change over the course of these three books.”
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