Ezekiel Farragut is in Falconer prison for murdering his brother. He’s also a heroin addict. There’s no story, just Farragut going through his time at the prison.
Hmm. I’d hoped the main character’s complications would’ve made for a more interesting novel but they didn’t. His drug history is unmemorable and his addiction more of a minor and occasional problem rather than anything more driving.
A potential story might’ve been about the question of whether he was guilty of murdering his brother or not, or if he was trying to escape the prison, but neither get addressed until the end and are dealt with underwhelmingly and matter-of-factly, with zero tension.
His first conversation behind bars with his wife at the start was amusing, as was the reveal of what led up to his crime at the very end but then most of the novel was dreary guff. I didn’t care about his tedious inmates and nothing much else happens besides hearing their inanities.
There’s a visit from the clergy, Farragut gets into a relationship with another man (Cheever himself was bisexual), and there’s a prison riot (at another prison - what, something exciting happen in this book? Pah!) all of which felt like padding.
Cheever is best known for his short stories and, while Falconer is a short novel, this might’ve worked better heavily edited to short story length than what it actually is - a quite consistently dull non-story about a dull man. I’m unsure if John Cheever is a writer worth exploring but, for those curious, I’d suggest not starting with Falconer.
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