Flannery O’Connor is a good example of a writer who didn’t just accidently “stumbled” into this profession. She was working the writing and editing jobs since her childhood and even got a master scholarship because of her talent. It was at a young age of twenty-one that O’Connor published her first novel. Proud owner of numerous awards, among which National Book Award, she died at age of thirty-nine of lupus, depriving the book lovers of reading more of her works.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a compilation of short stories that take place in the South of the United States. The stories are written in the gothic style: strange events, not so random signs, weird characters and unsettling monologues are all over the texts. The stories turn around the historic events of the region: wars, slavery, economic hardships, social injustice and new country being build on the ruins of the old wounds. All these notions greatly contribute to the dreariness of the stories. Which only makes them more interesting to read.

What can possibly overcloud a family vacation? Maybe a convicted felon that is heading in the same direction? Or a curiosity for an old hunted house that leads to a car wreck? Or is it a collection of three generation in the same place for too long? The life is so complicated that you never know what will hit you the hardest.

The story mainly centers around a grandmother who is travelling with her son and grandkids to Florida, making it a very difficult crowd to please. As they drive across the states, the reality of everyday life unfolds: old plantation that is now left behind, a road restaurant that has seen all kind of people, mystique houses and personalities, some of which are a product of human imagination and storytelling.

With somewhat unexpected and sad ending, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” makes for a fascinating read exploring the depths of human mind and wrongdoings. Definitely worth a try!

Author: Ralph Boyd