First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Light in August, a novel about hopeful perseverance, features some of Faulkner’s most memorable characters: guileless, dauntless Lena Grove, in search of the father of her unborn child; Reverend Gail Hightower, plagued by visions; and Joe Christmas, a desperate, enigmatic drifter consumed by his mixed ancestry.

It’s the end of the workweek—yay! Finally, the weekend is here. I’m glad that we all made it through another week. I hope everyone was able to finish the week on a high note. I hope you accomplished all your tasks, or at least made significant progress toward them. It’s now time to dress down and let your hair down. It’s time to dive into the weekend! I hope everyone gets to spend their weekend wisely. Outside, the weather is fair, but this belies the danger looming over the horizon. The threat of a super typhoon ravaging the northern section of the Philippines looms. I hope the weather disturbance doesn’t gather more strength. This comes after the country’s central islands were ravaged by a strong typhoon. I hope that no one gets caught off guard the way the central provinces were by Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi). Keep safe, everyone! I hope everyone is doing well—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

With the workweek coming to a close, it’s time for a fresh First Impression Friday update. Over the years, this blogging meme has become an essential part of my weekly book-blogging routine. It provides a great opportunity to take a breather while reflecting on my current read. These updates also serve as springboards for my eventual book reviews. Like in previous years, I’ll be spending the rest of the year completing the books I listed on my reading goals and challenges. The remaining books in these challenges are part of American and African literature. My attention is therefore on books written by American—both North and South—and African writers. My current read, however, is not part of any of these reading challenges. In a way, I find myself in a Nobel Laureates in Literature reading binge. It’s because of this that I decided to read William Faulkner’s Light in August.

Interestingly—or perhaps not—it was through must-read lists that I first encountered the American writer. Around this time, I barely had any idea about the cultural influence of the Nobel Prize in Literature, although I was familiar with it. Recognized in 1949 by the Swedish Academy, Faulkner is a familiar presence on must-read lists. In particular, his novel The Sound and the Fury is among the most recommended. It was also the first novel of his that I read. However, I found it challenging. This, however, did not preclude me from wanting to explore his oeuvre further. During the pandemic, I read Absalom, Absalom!, a book I liked—at least relative to The Sound and the Fury. This makes Light in August the third Faulkner novel I’ve read.

Set in the American South in the 1930s, the novel begins with the journey of Lena Grove, a young pregnant woman from Doane’s Mill, Alabama, who is trying to locate Lucas Burch, the father of her unborn child. After being fired from his job in Doane’s Mill, Lucas moved to Mississippi and promised Lena that he would send word once he found a new job. However, she did not hear from him for a long time. Further, she has been harassed by her older brother because of her illegitimate pregnancy. This prompted her to seek Lucas, hitchhiking and walking to Jefferson, Mississippi—a town familiar in Faulkner’s literary landscape. It’s located in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. During her journey, she hears that Lucas might be in Jefferson. She then forms the expectation of finding Lucas there, working at another planing mill. She also expects that he will ask her to marry him. She is confident she will find Lucas.

However, when she reaches Jefferson, things couldn’t be more different. She arrives in Jefferson just as an old plantation house burns to the ground. The house was owned by Joanna Burden. A worker at the planing mill, Byron Bunch, recalls a stranger showing up and working at the mill. His name was Joe Christmas, and he seemed to come from nowhere. He moved to the “Negro cabin.” Christmas’s arrival was soon followed by another newcomer who introduced himself as Joe Brown. We also get to learn more about Byron, who has worked at the mill for seven years. However, the only friend he has in town is Reverend Gail Hightower, the disgraced minister. Lena inadvertently approached Byron, believing that he was Lucas—their last names were nearly identical. Byron, for his part, fell in love with Lena. Still, he agreed to help her find Lucas.

Thus commences what I perceive to be a story of cat and mouse, with Lena and Byron trying to locate Lucas. Lucas, however, is a cipher, as I find it challenging to isolate his motivation for not corresponding with Lena. This being Faulkner territory, understanding the interactions and dynamics between the characters and their community is critical. As such, I am interested in how Byron, Lena, and even Lucas integrate into the community. Still, finding Lucas is imperative. Will they be able to find him? And if they do, how will Byron deal with his own feelings for Lena? There are other dimensions to the story that I expect will eventually manifest as the novel unfolds. Interestingly, I find the book more accessible than the first two Faulkner novels I read. Further, there seems to be less digressions in Light in August.

There’s a lot to look forward to in the book—and a lot to unpack as well. How will the community influence the story of Lena, Byron, and Lucas? Another interesting facet is the time period and the elements of religion woven into the novel. I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds. How about you, fellow reader? What book (or books) are you reading this weekend? I hope you’re enjoying your current read. Happy weekend!