Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck

Earlier this month, I read Cannery Row by John Steinbeck and really enjoyed it. In doing a bit of research on the novel afterwards, I discovered that Steinbeck actually wrote a sequel to it.  This was weird to me; I'm not used to the classic novels I read being part of a series. I knew that I wanted to give the second book, Sweet Thursday, a shot. I stopped by a Barnes and Noble and got lucky - it was sitting right there on the shelf, waiting for me.

Sweet Thursday is structured as another collection of  connected stories about the residents of Cannery Row in Monterey, California. This novel picks up shortly after WWII ends, several years after the events of the first novel. The intervening years have brought many changes to the neighborhood. For example, Lee Chong no longer owns the grocery store, and Dora, the brothel owner, has passed away in her sleep. Henri, the artist, has left town and the sardine canneries for which the street was named are now closed due to over-fishing. Some of the residents still remain, however, including Mack and most of his boys living in the Palace Flophouse and Doc, the kindly marine biologist that everyone loves and looks to for advice.

Most of the stories in the collection center around the neighborhood's quest to find a wife for Doc. Doc has come back from an administrative job in the war feeling depressed, and he isn't sure why. His old hobbies no longer satisfy him, and he finds himself struggling to settle back into his pre-war routines of catching and preserving marine animals for schools and museums. He tries to offset this sadness by writing a research paper on the octopus, but finds himself unable to even get started on it, and his inability to do this depresses him further. The rest of the town can sense his struggles and they decide to try and help by finding him a woman to marry.

They settle on Suzy, a new arrival in town that has recently started working at The Bear Flag, the town's brothel. Suzy isn't cut out to be a working girl. She speaks her mind too readily, is very disagreeable, and doesn't fit in with the rest of the girls. Despite that, there's something about her that draws people in. Fauna, the new madam of The Bear Flag, determines that she would be better suited as a wife, and begins to nudge her towards Doc. The rest of the street, including Mack, Hazel, and the rest of the Flophouse boys, do what they can to assist her and finally, on one absolutely perfect Thursday, everything starts falling into place.

This novel was completely charming and a very fitting sequel to Cannery Row. Anyone who enjoyed the first novel will likely enjoy this second one as well. It has the same sort of endearing characters and unlikely, but funny, plot points. In fact, Sweet Thursday is even happier and more satisfying than its predecessor, with some romance added into the mix of stories. As Steinbeck's most famous works tackle social issues, like Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, it was definitely a surprise to read a lighthearted romance from him. It didn't have the same emotional impact as his more serious novels, but it was an incredibly nice, happy read.

I learned from the introduction to my edition that Steinbeck wrote Sweet Thursday after coming out a a rough patch in his own life. The death of a close friend and the dissolution of his second marriage caused him to fall into a depression. Meeting the woman who would become his third wife helped him turn things around and become happy again. He based Doc and Suzy's story on his own, which is probably why their sorrow in the beginning of the novel and their recovery at the end feel so genuine. He was truly writing from his heart here, and the story is all the stronger for it.

Overall, Steinbeck's writing was, as usual, a treat to read. It flowed smoothly across the pages and brought his quirky, goodhearted characters to life. I especially loved Hazel in this novel. He isn't a smart man, but he is a loyal and well-meaning one. When he notices that Doc is struggling with something, he stops at nothing to try and help him. What he does to "help" is quite unorthodox and also completely illegal, but I have to admit, it got results. I really enjoyed watching him figure out what he could do to support his friend.

I really liked Sweet Thursday. It has all the good stuff from Cannery Row plus a nice bit of romance for a beloved character. These two novels together show a different aspect of Steinbeck than I was previously familiar with, and I enjoyed experiencing some lighter fare from him. While I can't say I would rate either of these novels higher than his more serious works, I still liked them a great deal. It's nice to read something that makes you feel good, and this series is one of those ones that lifts you up.


Challenge Tally
Finally in 2019: 14/6 Books Read - Complete!

Total Books Read in 2019: 27