Sweet Hereafter: A Novel by Russell Banks
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Book Summary Author: Russell Banks Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 1992-06-26 ISBN: 0060923245 Number of pages: 257 Publisher: Harper Perennial |
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Book Reviews of the Sweet Hereafter: A Novel
Customer Review: Billy Hansel
Summary: 1 Stars
Billy Hansel Billy Hansel, widower and father of two was the only person to witness the accident. He was, as Dolores Driscoll described him, "Smart and charming. And a successful businessman too." She also noted that "in High School he was the boy other boys imitated and followed, quarterback of the football team, president of his senior class, et cetera." "A man with a mission", a natural leader and "maybe the most liked man in town" as Wendell put it, Billy Hansel worked hard long hours to sustain himself and his children. When his children were taken away from him, the pain was simply too much to cope with as an overwhelming feeling of solitude and perhaps self-pity swept him off his feet and into excessive drinking habits. The night after the accident, Billy Hansel described his emotions in the third person saying: "[...] he has suffered an irretrievable loss, has discovered that he is inconsolable, and [...] has removed himself from normal human contact." In fact, this is exactly what he did; he removed himself from normal human contact through hi alcohol abuse more than a conscious decision on his own part. Hansel was neither a victim nor a strong advocate of stereotyping. As far as I could tell, the only preconceptions he had were about lawyers whom he regarded and spoke of as "shysters", "bastards", and "sonsofbitches". He felt they were driving the town "completely crazy" and making it a "hateful place to live". Fortunately, Hansel' s stereotyping does not compare in any way with my own experience. I feel that the author's intent was on showing that accidents sometimes really are accidents and that striving to find a culprit will only make things worse. Even though one of his characters, Mitchel Stephens does not believe in accidents, Russell Banks puts the emphasis on the importance of forgiving and how everyone benefits from it that kind of attitude. The town went from being a vengeful place to a returning to a relatively normal place to live. As we see through different eyes with each chapter, "The Sweet Hereafter" has shown me how bitter attitudes can hurt and how in times when death seemingly prevails, it is more important to focus on the living.