Arab News writers select some of their favorite books to add to your summer reading list.
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‘Cannery Row’
John Steinbeck
Critics haven’t always been kind to Steinbeck’s short 1945 novel. “Sentimental” and “trivial” are two accusations sometimes thrown at it. The first it may be. The second it definitely isn’t; the seeming simplicity of the language and the book’s nostalgia and humor shouldn’t obscure its depths. The book, Steinbeck said, was written in response to a request from soldiers to “write something funny that isn’t about the war.” The setting he chose was the titular street in Monterey, California during the Great Depression, home to a host of sardine canneries (hence the name), a group of homeless men led by Mack, a few storekeepers, a bordello, and Doc, a marine biologist whose kind-heartedness has made him beloved by the locals. To show their appreciation, Mack and his boys decide to throw Doc a party. It gets wildly out of control, and much of Doc’s home — and his lab — is ruined. So Mac and the boys throw him another party to cheer him up. The book is written with such brilliant economy. The characters are so vividly realized, so specific and singular, yet instantly recognizable — and Steinbeck’s love and respect for them shines through on every page. You’ll come to love them too.
