Week 7 - The Pearl - John Steinbeck

I know...I know...I'm running a little late this week...and once again it's a short book, but a book is a book is a book. I'm still reading Moby Dick which is almost 700 pages with all the annotations and such. I think if you average out book sizes I'm not doing too bad. I'm hoping to be done with Moby Dick by the end of this week, but even if I am, I might read something else and review it (I'll explain why if I do), and save Moby Dick for the following week. I'll play it by ear.

Week 7 - The Pearl - John Steinbeck

The Pearl is the story of a poor pearl diver named Kino, who lives in a town by the sea with his wife, Juana, and his infant son, Coyotito. Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, and the local doctor refuses to treat him because they have no money. Juana prays that they might find a pearl so they can pay for Coyotito's treatment. They take their boat out together and Kino goes diving. Kino finds the "pearl of the world," a perfect pearl the size of a seagull egg.

News of his find travels quickly. The doctor is now willing to treat the baby, even though the couple has most likely healed the baby already with a folk remedy. The town's pearl brokers, who are not really competitors but work for the same entity, collude to cheat Kino and pay him far less than the pearl is worth. Kino suspects this is the case and refuses to do business with them.

Juana thinks the pearl is evil, and wants Kino to get rid of it. She tries to do so, but Kino stops her, and almost immediately thereafter is set upon by thieves who try to steal the pearl. Kino kills one of them, but not before they burn down his house and destroy his boat. Kino and his family flee, but trackers are following close behind.

Steinbeck packs a lot into a small space. Although the characters are simple, the descriptions of them are vivid. He also makes use of a soundtrack of sorts to help convey the mood. Kino hears various songs, the song of the family, the song of evil. He also hears the song of the pearl, which sometimes sings the hope of a better life for his family, and other times sings an evil theme of greed.

So do I recommend it? Absolutely! It is a book full of simple dreams and emotions and drama and truth. And it fits my most important criteria for a book - size! It is also one of those books which if you haven't read, you have to ask yourself, "Why not?"

Seriously, it is a quick read, but that is all the more reason to tackle it. Enjoy!