So this isn't Faulkner's most famous book, and it is widely viewed to not be his best. There is a rumour going round that he wrote it to make money and sell copies, and so it must be rubbish. That rumour is wrong though, it comes from something Faulkner said which has been taken out of context. He wrote a first draft and talked about rewriting the book, because he thought it wouldn't sell one before being revised. What exactly he meant by that I don't know - maybe it was too gruesome? Maybe it wasn't up to his standards? Maybe it was too bleak? if you read this book I think it is fairly obvious that it wasn't written to be a unit shifter.
What we have now, after Faulkner's rewrites and getting this book past the publishers, is a really, really great book. I can't remember the last book I read which was just so dismal. There is no ray of sunshine here, no happy endings, no good news, and the people in this little town, in County Yoknapatawpha have no hope, no reasons to be cheerful. Early on in the book, Temple is scared out of her mind in the moonshiners house, and it goes downhill from there. I don't want to give anything in the story away, but please if you read this be prepared for a heavy, dark ride. This book will not leave you feeling anything positive or optimistic, it is dark and miserable and hits hard. When Faulkner sent this to the publisher in 1929, they reacted "Good God I can't publish this...We would both be in jail".
None of that means it is a bad book. It's uncomfortable and unpleasant, and it will make you feel empty inside, but that means it's a great book. It is clearly what Faulkner wanted to do, and he has done it masterfully. This isn't meant to be a cosy happy book, its meant to be a brutal heavy one, and it is. It avoids being overly explicit however. There isn't any graphic descriptions or anything like that. Faulkner managed to create a dark disturbing book without using graphic imagery at all.
So it's not a nice tale, but there is more to it than that. The lawyer, Benbow, is defending a murder suspect, against lots of evidence and public opinion. He does what he thinks is right, even though he upsets everyone around him, an risks his family's reputation.For example he houses a mother and her baby who have nowhere else to go, keeping them in his house, even though his sister forbids it. She doesn't want him living in a house with a woman who had a baby with a man she isn't married to - people will talk. But Benbow doesn't care - he cares about justice and morality and doing the right thing. The tale is dark, but there are lessons here and things to think about.
It is pretty hard going though, and I understand this will put people off. The story is slowly revealed, as it would have happened, and the reader is expected to keep up. Character's come into the story with no introduction, the established characters will talk to them like the reader is supposed to know who they are. There is even a funeral for a character who made his first appearance in the previous chapter, with no introduction. The reader will have no idea who he is or why it is relevant, but keep going. Many things happen in this book which are confusing at the time, or not clear what is even happening, but they will become clear. It will take a bit of figuring out what on earth is going on sometimes.
So overall this was a great book. It's miserable and dark and nothing nice happens, but that's what is is supposed to do. It will stick with you for a long time. I felt like I had watched a film after reading this book - the images are so strong in my mind. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a challenge, or anyone who likes modern classics.
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