Of The Farm, by American Novelist, John Updike
Of The Farm is a book written by the American novelist, John Updike. It is a simplistic story that recounts a tale as old as time: the tension-satuarated relationship between a son's mother, and his wife.
All in all, I enjoyed reading Of The Farm. I've been doing good, but still experiencing some much needed bedrest, so it was therapeutic to read a very relaxed, laid-back novel. The story takes place on a farm in Pennsylvania, USA, where the atmosphere is quite serene, full of nature and beautiful imagery.
"Stretched scatterings of flowers moved in a piece, like the heavens, constellated by my wheels' revolution."
At the same time, it is filled with tension, and albeit, very unusual circumstances. Of The Farm was written in 1965, a time when divorce was utterly unheard of. Yet, our protagonist, Joey, has already divorced from his first wife, and remarried a second. Not only another woman, but HIS MISTRESS, whom he cheated on his wife with! 😬 A woman who has a child from a previous marriage of HER OWN, and so Joey inadvertently abandons his own children while simultaneously taking on the fatherly role for a stranger.
"But I was prey to jealous fantasies and felt the world to be full of resolute men who ... would carry her off forever."
So, the book explores the theme of maternal love: how some people can live their entire lives only seeking their mother's validation. Joey, the son, often refers back to how his mother never seemed to approve of his first wife.
"I felt myself at the point at which, years ago, in this same room, I had failed Joan. Yet I respected -- was captive within -- my mother's sense of truth."
This, in turn, ends up tainting their whole marriage because of how highly Joey values his mother's approval. Perhaps his second marriage was done purely to spite his mother, for Joey's relationship to his wife seems anything but harmonious. In my opinion, it feels mostly lustful...
"'You poisoned one marriage for me and I want you to leave this one alone.'"
(Image created using an AI art generator on NightCafe)
While the young family stays on the farm, Joey's mother and wife must spend time getting to know one another, and unfortunately they end up butting heads a lot. This causes another timeless theme to emerge: a son's battle, between the approval of his mother, or his wife. Many men feel an obligation to remain true to their mothers, even while in their own marriage. Given that Joey does not have a faithful marriage with his wife to begin with, one can probably imagine who ends up gaining his affections.
Altogether, this was a good read, albeit a bit confusing at times. Again, while there may have been unusual circumstances for the characters, their struggles are ones that we can all sympathize with. I, for one, have a VERY tumultuous relationship with my own mother-in-law! 😅 So, I would definitely give more of Updike's works a read!
Interesting book. Would have been impossible to guess the subject matter from the title 😂
I can always appreciate a book that tells us exactly what it's about 😂 thank you for your comment!