Review of A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace by John Knowles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I now understand why this book is often considered a modern masterpiece. Knowles is very economical with his words. He does just what he has to in order to accomplish his purpose. He left me thinking of not only themes about growing up, but the truth about perception vs. reality and of course themes about war. On considering the message behind growing up, the message that I receive is that none of us truly ever grows up. Growing up seems unattainable, as it means something different for each new generation. Every image that Knowles paints, the descriptions that he gives, and the philosophy that Gene spouts (not that Gene recognizes the weight of his meandering thoughts) are integral to meaning. The author's prose is truly masterful.

I had and still have many doubts regarding Gene. I find him vastly unreliable. The unreliability is compounded by the separation in time that Knowles sets up with the framed narration from the beginning (though the frame is never really closed). Gene's sees the world through rose-colored glasses in the beginning of his recollections, but as Phineas, Gene's "best friend" and role model. I get the impression that Gene builds up the character to legendary, godlike status (view spoiler)[ Of course, Knowles does this so the character can be torn down with his physical disability and eventually death. Gene's perceptions shift from the rose-colored "peaceful" wonderland into increasingly grayer surroundings until the school becomes a parachute factory at the culmination of the protagonist's senior year. (hide spoiler)]

The setting, a boarding school called the Devon school, is perfectly imagined. While I do at times have trouble relating to boys at a boarding school in the early 1940s, the message of the book is universal. I noticed that the character's attitude toward authority, establishment, and doubting of the truth is one that teens, especially fictionalized teens still experience.

Knowles is masterful, even in the selection of his characters' names. Gene: a representative for humanity (so universal, it is programmed in our DNA), Phineas (Finny) swimming through life without a worry in the world, Brinker: always on the edge of starting something, committing to life, but never quite making it.

A classic, but page-turning read.

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