Lovecraft Country

 

Matt Ruff's novel, Lovecraft Country, came out in 2016 and the HBO series based on it arrived in 2020. I had read one of Ruff's previous novels and liked it, so I picked up  Lovecraft Country around 2017 and liked it even more. 

It was right up my alley. There's a literary reference in each of the title and first sentence. "Lovecraft" refers to early twentieth century horror author H. P. Lovecraft. "Atticus" is a name most likely to call to mind Atticus Finch, the noble lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird. These two references bring in the ideas of horror and justice. 

How many times have we seen someone make it almost to safety before something happens? Enough times so that when we see "was almost home" it brings a sense of dread. "Almost home" is not yet home, not yet safe. 

What happens when Atticus is almost home? "The state trooper pulled him over." For some of us, this is a concerning but not life-threatening event; for others, including people of color, this is much more tense and dangerous, possibly lethal. How much danger is Atticus in? Is he Black? 

Some elements of the sentence suggest he might be. The name Atticus isn't drawn from the most common pool of names for White males. Troopers are more likely to pull over people of color. And we know, as readers, that a big danger is more likely to start a story than a small one. 

This is a literary sentence, not because it is flowery or obtuse, but because it connects to other works that add to its resonance. Reminding us of To Kill a Mockingbird sets a mood, even as a man stopped by a trooper sets up a character and a problem. It's elegant writing to offer tension for any reader and even more to readers who hear the echoes of other works. 

Photo by Pat Whelen on Unsplash

Graphic elements by Ken Silbert