Trashy Books for Smart People: The Pat Conroy Edition

WSIR 14 coming at you with some pop fiction.

Feb 14, 2021

Many years ago I, a fully grown adult, was sitting on a plane with a newly-published Harry Potter book. The gentleman sitting next to me proceeded to volunteer how he would never waste his time on children’s books because he was too busy with his important finance career and simply had to make every moment count (and by implication, was much too intellectual for such nonsense.) I smiled politely but distinctly remember feeling many simultaneous reactions:

First of all, sir, I didn’t ask.

Second of all, we are both on a plane going to a vacation destination so why don’t you pump the brakes on your 24/7 hustle narrative, okay?

Third of all, and this is the point, it’s totally fine for him to not choose Harry Potter, but who are ANY of us to judge ANYTHING that ANYONE reads (or consumes), unless it’s literal Nazi propaganda? Who cares?

*You* know you’re smart. *I* know you’re smart. Performative reading is something I hope we can agree to leave behind with Mr. Man from the plane. Plus, delicious reading is often surprisingly deep!

My first suggestion in this genre is Pat Conroy. He wrote contemporary fiction that feels pretty trashy and poppy in its complete readability but also is lyrical and moving. His books are absolute love letters to the American South. And he writes about male emotion, masculinity, and love in a singular way. Sometimes it’s a little too weepy and indulgent (Trashy!), but his narrative stylings more than make up for it (Smart!)

Although in some way every one of his books is about the same thing: families. relationships. Men, fathers, brothers. The almost-unbearable preciousness of life. it doesn’t really matter because he weaves language and story really magnetically (admittedly from a Baby Boomer Southern male POV, though he’s distinctly aware of that). They’re also quite witty. As my stepfather once said, “I think I’d read a phone book if I knew Pat Conroy wrote it.” Truth.

Here are a few to check out:

Beach Music is maybe my favorite. Absolutely suffused in grief, and love, and generational trauma (and healing). Love of the land, and love between parents and children, are completely inextricable. Delia “Crawdads” Owens* wishes she wrote this book.

(*OK I guess I’ll say it: I didn’t love Where the Crawdads Sing. I thought the nature writing was gorgeous but the story was … jejeune. Reading! It’s so personal.)

The Prince of Tides is also powerful and has many of the same themes - how hard and how necessary it is to love our parents, our partners, and our siblings. He also deals with mental illness in a bruised, tender way. (No, I didn’t see the Barbra Streisand-Nick Nolte movie, and I refuse to picture either of them as the characters.)

The Great Santini was his first big hit, in 1976 - apparently a thinly veiled account of his teenage years growing up in a military family with a violent Marine for a father. It also powerfully depicts teenage powerlessness and growth and longing and the tentative steps out of your family, however desperately you want to leave or stay.

Once you’re through with those, sure, you can explore South of Broad or My Losing Season or even The Lords of Discipline if you’re really into him. But these’ll set you right for a bit.

Let me know if you crave more entries in the Trashy Books for Smart People series!

A Year of Shakespeare: The Reading Challenge

2021, Week 7: Completed Hamlet, apparently the source of literally all English language turns of phrase. Newsflash: it was beautiful, and the first of the plays to really come alive for me on the page. Poised to begin King Lear. Falling behind in the challenge with only 10% of the plays completed and 12% of the year, yikes.

These recommendations link directly to Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores across the country. When you can, please consider buying from independent bookstores.

Past book recommendations can be found at my Bookshop.org affiliate page & in the archive.