DEC 2020: The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson

[Samantha]

Our Winter read will be Sloan Wilson's The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit. This book is praised as being representative of the era, a depiction of a post-war era through man who seems to have everything but who feels unhappy.

Have you read the book or watched the movie before?

Society if often nostalgic for life in the 1950s. What is your image of the era? What good things do you wish would return from this time? What elements do idealists forget about?

[[deleted user]]

I've not read the book nor seen the film (but I know the story, more or less.) I was born in 1956 and the only images I have from that time are what I've read, seen on old television shows, and to a lesser extent, films from the decade. The thing that I wish would return from the period are strong and numerous print media--newspapers and magazines, an unattainable wish to be sure.

[[deleted user]]

Finished the novel today and I liked it very much! Very much a character study and definitely rooted in the specific time and place. I definitely want to watch the film to see how the actors portray the characters which I came to care about very much. An excellent choice and I'm looking forward to more books in 2021. Have a happy and healthy New Year!

[Samantha]

I am enjoying this book so far. It is easy to relate to the characters, the desire to live in a bigger house, to provide more for your kids, to not have to struggle when an appliance breaks or something happens to a family member’s health. The writing is direct and meaningful.

The project that Mr. Hopkins is interviewing staff for, did anyone else think Tom might be good for the job because he may have experienced or seen soldiers suffering from PTSD? I think it was still called shell shock then, and maybe wasn’t considered to be a mental illness, but from a modern perspective it seems like an obvious fit.

[[deleted user]]

Samantha wrote: "I am enjoying this book so far. It is easy to relate to the characters, the desire to live in a bigger house, to provide more for your kids, to not have to struggle when an appliance breaks or some..."

Hadn't thought of that, but it seems spot on. I watched the film yesterday, maybe not quite up to the novel, the structure is a bit different, but it is absorbing. The acting is uniformly fine, especially Fredric March as Hopkins, more sympathetic than in the book.

[Samantha]

Tom's wife gets the chicken pox from her kids because she never had it herself as a kid. Now we have a vaccine for it, so children won't have that experience. Do you remember having chicken pox?

I got it when I was four and my sister was two, so I remember it but my sister doesn't. We have pictures of us covered in spots. I don't remember it being that bad, but I think my sister's reaction was more severe and she had a few scars from it.

[Samantha]

Hopkins weighs 138 pounds— and he thinks that is too much?!?

[Samantha]

I like the way we see Tom’s interior monologues. He thinks every scenario out in his mind, and he is cynical about the intentions of the people around him. I especially relate to the way he feels people out in his new job. He is afraid to be honest with them because he relies on their paycheck and people can be sensitive to honesty.

The writing is excellent because the book isn’t terribly long but the characters are complex and relatable without fitting into default stereotypes.