Review: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

I am two books behind in my reviews, so they're going to be quick and short (again, I'm losing interest for these, and I'm sure nobody else cares).  Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, was one of those books that I never read in high school or college, but felt that I should read, and it was #1 on my "to-read" list for much of the past year.  I finally borrowed a copy from my father and read it in 24 hours.

Of Mice and Men is more a short story or a novella than a novel.  Two ranch hands head across California during the Great Depression, looking for work and dreaming of better things.  George Milton is wiry, alert, and thinks of nothing but the better life that could be his.  Lennie Small is a lumbering, slow-witted animal-lover who never means to hurt a fly, but doesn't know his own strength.  In a world where every man must live for himself, these two thrive on relying upon each other, ignoring the oncoming tragedy which, in the end, is inevitable.

My sister warned me that this is "a tough book", and she was correct.  Not the writing style, not the length, but the content.  As an animal lover, reading a book that involves the death of several small, helpless creatures was difficult at best, and made it harder for me to sympathize with poor, dim-witted Lennie or feisty, harsh-mouthed George.  There aren't many likable characters in Of Mice and Men; besides Lennie and George, there's Curley, the blustering son of the ranch owner; his nameless, skank-tastic wife; and various other ranch hands and workers who play minor parts in the book.  The only real character I felt any sympathy for was Candy, the elderly, handicapped ranch hand, who is forced to give up his best friend (his old dog), foreshadowing the events of the rest of the book.

I liked Steinbeck's writing style, and I think I'd read another of his books, but I doubt I'll be reading Of Mice and Men a second time.

Rating: ***