December: Thurston County

Last night I got August: Osage County out of the library while I was on a walk with the family. I read part of it while waiting with my cousin for the train, then I went to the holiday play (read 1940s Christmas romance), read part of the play while waiting for the show to start, read part during intermission and finished it when I got home. It was sort of an odd juxtaposition. Because this play is fucked up.

It's kind of like a modern Long Days Journey into Night with the drinking and the drugs. But there's a difference of agency. James Tyron is full of passive suffering, trying to control his family. Beverly Weston gives up completely and I think that gives him more control. The rest of his family is forced to act as opposed to assuming he will pick up the slack. Then there's Mom with a Mission as opposed to the frail insanity of Mary Tyrone.

It's brilliant, but it's really fucked up. I was kind of disappointed that Ivy didn't turn out to be a lesbian. Everyone's just so fucked up. There's really only a couple of issues, but everyone else seems to just get fucked up by association. Like Ivy and Little Charles, who seem to be trying really hard just can't escape their family.