A review by erboe501
The Movie-goer by Walker Percy

3.0

From the outset, I was drawn to this book because it was set in New Orleans (my father's hometown and a frequent family vacation spot). Who doesn't enjoy recognizing street names and restaurants so you can place your characters in a setting that you've experience firsthand? The New Orleans of Binx Bolling is a mystical, almost spiritual place, but Binx is never fully satisfied with his place in it. In fact, he's never fully satisfied with anything. Except, maybe, his job as a stock-broker. I love the section in the first 10 pages in which Binx says that he's a "model citizen and take[s] pleasure in doing all that is expected of me." He likes carrying cards that identify him, as if this validates his right to existence. I don't think Binx ever realizes what the point of his existence is. He doesn't know if he's a liberal or a conservative; he's merely invigorated by each side's strong hatred for the other. He lusts after his many secretaries, but the relationships always fizzle out with mutual disinterest. The only thing that truly stimulates him is the cinema (it's called The Moviegoer for a reason).

This all sounds rather depressing, but the novel is also hilarious. I was snorting out loud as I read, doodling smiley faces and lols in the margins. I enjoyed the beginning of the novel moreso than the middle or end, but overall I am happy that I picked this up. Percy does a wonderful job of making the characters and setting come alive, much like you'd see in a movie.