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A review by skywalkerdash22
The Auctioneer by Joan Samson
4.0
I had never heard of this book before I saw it sitting on a table in Barnes and Noble, and decided on a whim to buy it because I thought the cover looked cool. It took me longer to read than it should have, but I am glad I decided to buy this and read it. It’s a story about a family in a very small New England town called Harlowe, and a mysterious outsider named Perly Dunsmore (one of the best names for a villain I’ve ever seen in my life) who arrives in town and slowly becomes more and more influential on its citizens. It was written in the 70s, but a lot of it felt very relevant to today. A charismatic grifter convincing a group of uneducated farmers to go against their own best interest basically describes how the Republican Party stays in power. But there’s also a lot of themes about family and tradition that gave me a lot to think about. I was not sure how it was going to end, and the last 30 or so pages did not let me down. It was a fitting ending, and left me with a lot to consider. I wish they had made this into a movie back in the day, it could’ve been really really good. Perly Dunsmore would have been a great role for a big name, A List actor to play.
I learned midway through that Joan Samson died shortly after she finished the book, which made me really upset. I think this was the only book she ever published, and while I did feel like the story got a bit repetitive at times, I think she did such an awesome job at creating some complicated and fascinating characters. She probably had a lot more good stories in her brain, and it’s a shame the world never got to see them. I can see how this book influenced the work of Stephen King, as the tight-knit, small town, New England vibes felt like something out of Salem’s Lot or Cujo or It.
I learned midway through that Joan Samson died shortly after she finished the book, which made me really upset. I think this was the only book she ever published, and while I did feel like the story got a bit repetitive at times, I think she did such an awesome job at creating some complicated and fascinating characters. She probably had a lot more good stories in her brain, and it’s a shame the world never got to see them. I can see how this book influenced the work of Stephen King, as the tight-knit, small town, New England vibes felt like something out of Salem’s Lot or Cujo or It.