Revolutionary Road

Set in the 1950s this novel written by Richard Yates is quite something. It deals with the tale of April and Frank Wheeler, a young married couple, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs and from the outside it all seems pretty great but the problem is they thought they were destined for greater things. They think they are the interesting couple, deep thinking, more intelligent and really when it comes down to it better than their neighbours, not that they are outwardly snobbish. It's the internal dialogue between the couple that tells us this primarily. Frank in particular though is quite self aware and is very conscience of portraying himself in a certain way so people see him as attractive, this original first rate mind (he even does this with his wife April). He talks a lot, and I mean a lot, and all of what he says is obviously in his mind so well constructed and important that everyone should be in awe of him. There's a little bit towards the end when April says 'Oh, Frank, you really are a wonderful talker. If black could be made into white by talking, you’d be the man for the job.' and taken out of context it's sounds like a compliment but it comes in the middle of an argument where April has had enough of all the talking and you're rooting her on, cause by this stage as a reader you've had enough of him too. The two main characters in this are brilliantly written, the entire book is in all honesty, with April becoming increasingly sympathetic while Frank runs the other way and becomes more and more unlikeable. Their relationship, never exactly on an even keel really falls apart when April suggests they up and move to Paris, to give Frank a chance at finding out what he wants to do while she'll take on highly paid secretary work to support the family. Initially Franks all for it but in the end for someone apparently miserable in his job, who has conformed to an existence thats all a bit run of the mill and not as extraordinary as would befit a man like him he doesn't have the courage to change but then again I don't imagine many would. I don't know if I would. But I do know the way he gets out of it can't be described in any other way but horrible. April is who you feel sorry for, she's trapped in this life and unlike Frank she is willing to do something about it, to not settle for this existence of suburban banality, but she put her faith in a man who as it turns out was all just talk, and that was the undoing of them, all the talk. The story is many things, it's a satire on suburban life, it's the american dream gone wrong, it's a relationship coming apart and it's the tragic story of April Wheeler subtly building to its sad, abrupt but always inevitable conclusion. I couldn't recommend this book more, i've a habit of thinking the thing i'm reading is the best book i've ever read (not always but often enough)so i'm not going to say this is the best book i've ever read but part of me thinks it might be.