Thicker Than Liquor by Wendell Berry, 1985
The magic trick:
A plot with inevitable results
Not my favorite Wendell Berry story. It moves along slowly and seems to repeat itself a little bit before it finally hits its stride. Some of this, I’m sure, is by design, though. It’s a story with no surprises. Our protagonist is summoned from his life to drive to Louisville and bail his drunken Uncle Peach out of trouble. And so he does. And he’s not thrilled about it and maybe even wishes he could dismiss the entire thing. But he doesn’t. And we know he won’t. So there are no surprises, and maybe this is why the story seems to move slowly for the reader. It all feels inevitable. But that’s exactly what it feels like for our protagonist too. He resents the situation. But he has to play out his role and handle his responsibility. Even if it makes for a somewhat boring story for him too.
And that’s quite a trick on Berry’s part.
The selection:
Wheeler, who loved his father and liked his ways, assumed that he thought and felt as his father did. But Wheeler loved his mother too, and so he inherited Uncle Peach. When he returned home, Uncle Peach devolved upon him.
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