Review: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Title: Revolutionary Road
Author: Richard Yates
Genre: Contemporary adult fiction
Source: Bookshare
Reason for Reading: I saw the recent movie, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. I watched it with my brother and sister, and thought it was interesting that we were so divided about the movie’s characters. My brother and his girlfriend were firmly on protagonist Frank Wheeler’s side, while my sister and I thought Frank was a complete and total douchebag and sympathized more with April, his wife. After that evening, I went looking for the book, curious to see what changes had been made in the movie.
Synopsis:
From the moment of its publication in 1961, Revolutionary Road was hailed as a masterpiece of realistic fiction and as the most evocative portrayal of the opulent desolation of the American suburbs. It’s the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright, beautiful, and talented couple who have lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Richard Yates shows how Frank and April mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves. In his introduction to this edition, novelist Richard Ford pays homage to the lasting influence and enduring power of Revolutionary Road.
My Thoughts: This is one of those works of “serious literature” that, as a genre reader, I have been averse to reading. I get the feeling this book is “important”, and that I am somehow going to be a richer person for having read it, but I can’t say I liked it. The writing is beautiful, and Mr. Yates has a way of turning a phrase that conveys exactly, and in sharp detail, what he’s going for. And the story he has to tell is certainly realistic, something that is still as relevant today as the day he wrote it nearly 50 years ago.
The thing is, I’m a character reader, and these characters were horrible people. Frank Wheeler in particular is still as much of a douchebag in the book as he was in the movie. He spends his time adrift, trying to make himself feel like he’s the most awesome human being to ever draw breath, but all he manages to do is come across as very shallow and self-centered. He’s not happy in his life, so he spends his time bullying his wife, having office affairs, and expounding on the subjects of his happiness to friends he fully admits he doesn’t particularly like. I don’t care how many people there are out there who are just like Frank Wheeler. He’s still a douchebag.
None of the rest of the characters get much positive treatment, either. The Wheelers’ friends, the Campbells, are just as self-absorbed as the Wheelers are, and are also two-faced. Helen Givings, the real estate agent who sold the Wheelers their house on Revolutionary Road, is a silly little hypocrite. Frank’s boss is an idiot.
The only character I even remotely liked was Frank’s wife, April. I’m not sure that I was supposed to, because in her own way she’s just as self-absorbed as her husband. I guess it’s the feminist in me, who has read a number of short stories this semester about oppressed women, but I felt sorry for her, because God knows I wouldn’t want to live with a jerk like Frank. Every time she called Frank on his douchiness, I cheered. She’s no prize either, but I guess I related a bit more to her, because at least she was proactive about wanting to change her life. She goes ahead and does what she thinks is best for herself, and in the end, even though I don’t think I’m supposed to, I found her very strong and sympathetic.
Despite Frank’s utter douchiness and the fact that hardly anyone else was likeable, I did tear through this book. The writing kept me engaged and interested, and I kept waiting to see what other crap Frank would spout.
Final Thoughts: This is an intense look at a marriage in trouble. The characters are completely hard to like, but Yates’s writing is compelling, at times witty, and he has a sharp eye for detail. The movie also follows the book very closely, so this is one adaptation that’s worth seeing.
Final Grade: C for the characters, A for the writing. I think we’ll compromise and call this a B.