Join Me on a Walk through the Dark Side with Malcolm Lowry
The 11th Best Novel: Under the Volcano (1947)
Friends, I’m bringing the drama this time. Under the Volcano is #11 on our 100 best novels list, and it sounds all kinds of crazy cool. The novel is about one dude’s final day of life. He’s an alcoholic, a bureaucrat, he’s just moved back to Mexico, he’s trying to win his wife back, and it’s the DAY OF THE DEAD holiday. We’re going to spend the last day of Geoffrey Firmin’s life with him in a little Mexican town, nestled in the shadow of a volcano, called Quauhnahuac. Modern Library says, “in a world that is as menacing and meaningless as it is exhilarating.”
I just got my copy, and I can’t wait to start it! I’d never heard of this writer or novel, and I’m intrigued. The virtual discussion meetup will be December 27th. (I’m still reading Grapes of Wrath for the November 8th event, forgot how good it was!)
In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is a holiday full of laughter and storytelling, when friends and family gather to remember their ancestors with joy and playfulness. It’s usually November 1 and 2. Death is not an ending, but one stage in a constant cycle.
