Read this when
Revolutionary Road
They were sure they were too special for the suburbs. Revolutionary Road is what happens when a couple blames everything but the silence between them. 🏡
Who it's for
Yates gives readers unsparing access to both Frank's self-flattering inner voice and April's mounting desperation, so a reader in a strained relationship can watch pretense and blame operate from outside, which is often easier than seeing it in oneself.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Richard Yates's first novel, published in 1961, is set in a Connecticut suburb in 1955 and follows Frank and April Wheeler, a married couple who see themselves as different from their neighbors. After April performs in an amateur theatre production that goes badly, the couple plan to escape suburban routine by moving to Paris, where April will work while Frank works out what he wants to do.
Where to find it
In print (Vintage) and in libraries (Libby/Hoopla); audiobook available. Not public domain.
Before you start
Heads up: A fatal self-induced abortion.
Age: Ages 16+
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2
