The Runaway Soul by Harold Brodkey
"The Runaway Soul" by Harold Brodkey is an ambitious 835-page novel that has drawn attention for its intricate use of language and narrative structure, which some critics liken to architectural design. The book centers on Wiley Silenowicz, a character who serves as Brodkey's alter ego, navigating complex relationships and his deep-seated need for love. Raised in Illinois near the Mississippi River, Wiley is an adopted child whose life is marked by emotional challenges stemming from his adoption and subsequent family dynamics. The story unfolds non-linearly, which some readers find perplexing, as it often appears random rather than following a clear sequence. Critics have expressed mixed feelings about the book's length and the necessity for a more concise narrative, suggesting that a tighter revision could enhance its impact. Central themes include the quest for unconditional love and the struggle with feelings of objectification and alienation that arise from Wiley's experiences. Overall, "The Runaway Soul" presents a profound exploration of identity and emotional fulfillment, inviting readers to engage deeply with its character-driven story.
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The Runaway Soul by Harold Brodkey
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1991
Type of work: Novel
The Work
With the publication of The Runaway Soul, Brodkey published a book that many of his followers had been awaiting for thirty years. Weighing in at 835 pages, it was suggested that this book was the great “runaway novel.” Most critics agreed that it made prodigious use of language and of grammatical structuring, which some of them referred to as “architecture.” On the other hand, many critics considered the book flabby and contended that to make its greatest impact, it should have been much shorter. Certainly it would have benefited from a more drastic revision even than those that Brodkey, noted as a heavy reviser, accorded it.
Readers of Brodkey’s short stories will find many familiar characters in The Runaway Soul, whose protagonist, Wiley Silenowicz, is Brodkey’s alter ego. Wiley, like Brodkey, was brought up on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River just north of St. Louis. Like Brodkey, he is an adopted child and bears some of the baggage that goes with being adopted. Wiley is first introduced to readers at age fourteen after Brodkey devotes only one page to his earlier life, much of which unfolds indirectly as the story evolves.
Wiley’s stepfather, S. L. Silenowicz, a businessman, adores his adopted son. The stepmother, Lila, is somewhat less adoring. She has had to deal with many acute family problems. Her daughter, Nonie, ten years older than Wiley, may have been responsible for the deaths of two of her siblings.
Readers learn that Wiley was identified at age five as having a phenomenally high IQ. On learning of this, his birth father, an uneducated junk man, takes his son from his adoptive parents, which proves very traumatic for the boy, who feels more like an object than a human. When the birth father finds he cannot care for Wiley adequately, he returns the boy to the adoptive parents.
The basic story in The Runaway Soul is concerned with Wiley’s need for love and his inability to find it. Whenever he is in relationships, be they with his adoptive parents, his stepsister, his various lovers, or his friends, the love he so fervently requires always has strings attached.
The chronology Brodkey imposes on this novel will bewilder some readers. It seemingly is random rather than sequential. Although authors frequently deal with chronology in heterodox ways, they usually can justify their doing so on solid artistic grounds. If such grounds lurk beneath the surface in The Runaway Soul, they elude most readers, as they did most critics.
Sources for Further Study
Chicago Tribune. November 10, 1991, XIV, p. 3.
The Christian Science Monitor. December 18, 1991, p. 13.
Los Angeles Times Book Review. November 10, 1991, p. 4.
New Statesman and Society. IV, November 29, 1991, p. 40.
The New York Review of Books. XXXVIII, November 21, 1991, p. 3.
The New York Times Book Review. XCVI, November 10, 1991, p. 3.
Newsweek. CXVIII, November 18, 1991, p. 81.
Publishers Weekly. CCXXXVIII, August 30, 1991, p. 68.
The Wall Street Journal. December 5, 1991, p. A12.
The Washington Post Book World. XXI, November 10, 1991, p. 1.