Sabs reads a book that is not YA

[sabotabby]

Since no one else has finished their three YA books yet, I get to read adult books until they're done. Yay! I just finished It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, and I have a lot of feels, and need to talk about it.

You may have heard of it as "that dystopian novel written in 1935 that suddenly ended up on the bestseller list again because it predicted Trump's presidency." It is, basically, that—written to warn Americans, well before WWII, about the dangers of fascism in a populist mask. It's not the only such book, but there's something particularly resonant in it—probably because the weird-looking, jovial, outsider president is just so very Cheeto Benito that it's deeply chilling to read.

I also very much related to the protagonist, despite the fact that he's completely a liberal who complains at great length about how the Marxists are a bit shit. (I have to say, as a commie myself, the book's scathing portrayal of communists is pretty much accurate.) This guy has to be one of my favourite dystopian fiction protagonists, as he really just wants to be left alone to sleep in, get laid, and read proper literature, but people keep being fascist at him so he has to actually go out and fight. That's me in a nutshell, or would be before Netflix was invented.

It does pretty well on gender—again, 1935, just in case you're ever inclined to write off a lack of interesting and complex female characters in a book as a product of its time—there are multiple overtly feminist women, one of whom gets to kick way more ass than any of the male characters. It's worse on sexual orientation, if only because the only prominent queer character is based on Ernst Röhm and meets a similar fate (it's unknown whether the writing of the book was completed before the Night of the Long Knives, but one doesn't have to be all that prescient to guess at what happens to people like Röhm under fascist regimes, or Milo Yiannopoulos, for that matter).

At any rate, I was absolutely engrossed and if you want a likely portrait of what the next four years will bring, give this book written over 80 years ago a read. And never sleep again.

Comments

[mlknchz]

That book was the basis for the TV movie, series, and re-booted TV series "V", believe it or not

[sabotabby]

I did read this! That's pretty awesome. I was a big fan of V back in the day, though I never saw the reboot.

[kore]

That book really is good! Sinclair Lewis was not at all bad re women -- his first novel, Main Street, is about a smart girl trapped by marriage in Gopher Prairie. Far better than Wolfe, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, blahblah, who are all much better writers, but rarely if ever wrote women as people.

[sabotabby]

I was impressed because, well, 1935 and a male author. But no, he's just all, "yeah, so lets have most of the main cast be badass women who don't want to get their human rights taken away, and this one can be the radical feminist firebrand, and this one can be the spy, and this one will crash a plane straight into the bad guy who no one else can get near. Oh yeah and have some other women who are not heroines but are equally complex and interesting."

[lapinlunaire]

Wait, seriously? I can't tell if you're joking or if this is real life

[sabotabby]

I am not joking. There are more male characters than female, but other than the main lead guy, the women get to do the most stuff and the most action-oriented role falls to the main character's daughter.

[fidget]

Thanks for the red¹ hot book tip!

Anyway, yeah, this is definitely something I'd like to read, so thanks for the heads-up.


¹Hahaha, see what I did there? See what I did there with Karl Marx? Hahaha!

[sabotabby]

You are subtle enough to be a communist spy in 1950s Britain. :)

Enjoy!

[ironed_orchid]

as he really just wants to be left alone to sleep in, get laid, and read proper literature, but people keep being fascist at him so he has to actually go out and fight

It's a struggle that is all too real.

Going to look out for this one.

[sabotabby]

It seriously makes for a compelling story. This being rural Vermont in 1935, sleeping in is any time past 7:30 am (a lot of words are devoted to this) but it is still clearly a Life Goal, thus making him probably the most relatable character I've read about in ages.

[lapinlunaire]

This being rural Vermont in 1935, sleeping in is any time past 7:30 am (a lot of words are devoted to this)

I wouldn't last a single second in rural Vermont, I would willingly depart*

* to NYC where I could be a 1930s dirtbag

[sabotabby]

Same. I am really into sleeping in and cities and being a dirtbag.

[lapinlunaire]

if only because the only prominent queer character is based on Ernst Röhm and meets a similar fate

It's ok, if there are badass ladies I will 100% believe they are in a relationship so if your comment above was serious, this is already the queerest book.

Also, I know I'm probably a bad person but I don't feel bad for Röhm. Yeah he was gay but he was also a terrible person and actual Nazi.

[sabotabby]

It's ok, if there are badass ladies I will 100% believe they are in a relationship so if your comment above was serious, this is already the queerest book.

So it would be a challenge, as two of the badass ladies are sisters, and the other badass lady is substantially older than the other two and in a quasi-substitute-parental relationship with them, i.e., she's their dad's mistress, but they clearly like her better because their mom kind of sucks. The mom is her frenemy but reads as asexual to me, tbh.

Also, I know I'm probably a bad person but I don't feel bad for Röhm. Yeah he was gay but he was also a terrible person and actual Nazi.

I don't either. Nor for Milo. If you're stupid enough to back fascists, you deserve what's coming to you.

It's just a bit unfortunate from a narrative perspective because confirmation that said character is gay and into BDSM comes approximately a page before he and his boytoys are all massacred.

[lapinlunaire]

I have spent years being exposed to ads/previews for telenovelas and looking at covers of spolery magazines about those in supermarket check-out lines

1) they are sisters but maybe they're actually not! Kind of like how seemingly every telenovela with a long-lost siblings plot will have a couple interrogating whether they might actually be siblings but of course it turns out they're not

2) there was one Brazilian telenovela where I'm pretty sure a guy was boning his dad's mistress and plotting his demise

so no problem, there's always a way around if you ship it strong enough

Seriously, though, that's sad :( :( :( Maybe they're gay and just single because they don't have time to date anyone with all that's going on so it never comes up.

And yeah, I get what you mean re: gay guy.

[sabotabby]

I like the way you think. Sadly, they are all in relationships with men. All of the men are pretty cool, even. But there is at least lots of opportunity to ship the elder daughter with no shortage of unnamed badass lady pilots.

[lapinlunaire]

If you keep throwing obstacles in the way of true love I will screencap this and send it to Chuck Tingle

He will appear on your doorstep at midnight, riding on a unicorn. A single tear will roll majestically down his cheeck and then he will disappear.

That is not a good way, lady buck! You need to prove love. Thanks

[sabotabby]

DON'T ENCOURAGE ME that would be the best thing

[lhrh37]

This is on my to-read. And maybe now on my to-give-my-Trump-voting family members for the next several holidays list as well.

"This is the third time you've given me this book, LHRH"
"Has it sunk in yet?"

[sabotabby]

Hah, I love this idea.

[sonoranrn]

I've been meaning to read this. Thanks for the encouragement.

[sabotabby]

Enjoy being super-depressed about the likely future of American politics!