''Revolutionary Road'' is the
debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...
by the American author
Richard Yates. It was a finalist for the
National Book Award
The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...
in 1962, along with ''
Catch-22'' and ''
The Moviegoer''. When published by
Atlantic-Little, Brown in
1961, it received critical acclaim, and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reviewed it as "beautifully crafted ... a remarkable and deeply troubling book." In 2005, the novel was chosen by ''
TIME
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' as one of the
100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.
["All-Time 100 Novels"](_blank)
''Time'', 2005.
The novel is critical of
1950s suburban life on the
U.S. East Coast. When
DeWitt Henry and Geoffrey Clark interviewed Yates for the Winter 1972 issue of literary journal ''
Ploughshares'', Yates detailed the title's
subtext:
A
film adaptation
A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of the book, starring
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
,
Kate Winslet, and
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...
, directed by
Sam Mendes
Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours ...
, and written by
Justin Haythe, was released in
2008.
Plot summary
Set in 1955, the novel focuses on the hopes and aspirations of Frank and April Wheeler, self-assured
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
suburbanites who see themselves as very different from their neighbors in the Revolutionary Hill Estates. In the opening scene, April stars in an embarrassingly bad amateur dramatic production of ''
The Petrified Forest''. After the performance, Frank and April have a fight on the side of the highway, and Frank later begins an affair with his office colleague Maureen Grube.
Seeking to break out of their suburban rut (and consequently blaming herself for all of Frank's "problems"), April convinces Frank they should move to Paris, where she will work and support him while he realizes his vague ambition to be something other than an office worker. The promise of France brings the two together in love and excitement again, and Frank seemingly ends his relationship with Maureen. While April sees the emigration as an opportunity to escape their bland environment, Frank's plans are more driven by vanity of his own intelligence, which April panders to. When the dull and prim neighbor Mrs. Givings begins bringing her "insane" son John around to the Wheelers' house for regular lunches, John's honest and erratic condemnation of his mother's suburban lifestyle strikes a chord with the Wheelers, particularly Frank.
Their plans to leave the United States begin to crumble when April conceives their third child, and Frank begins to identify with his mundane job when the prospect of a promotion arises. After arguing over the possibility of aborting the pregnancy, Frank tries to manipulate April into seeking psychiatric help for her troubled childhood. April, overwhelmed by the situation, suffers something of an identity crisis and sleeps with her neighbor Shep Campbell, while Frank resurrects his relationship with Maureen. Having attempted to
self-abort her pregnancy, April is rushed to the hospital where she dies from blood loss. Frank, scarred by the ordeal and feeling deep guilt over the outcome, is left a hollow shell of a man. Parenting duties are largely shifted to his brother and sister-in-law, with Frank visiting on weekends. Thus, the Wheeler children's youths begin to mirror the youth of their mother, who was primarily brought up by a slew of relatives while her parents visited infrequently.
Themes
In the October 1999 issue of the ''
Boston Review'', Yates was quoted on his central theme: "If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably
alone, and therein lies their
tragedy
A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...
." For all their personal hopes and dreams, Frank and April are unable to communicate them to each other; this syndrome is also seen in the other characters, Shep and Milly Campbell, and Mr. and Mrs. Givings. The Wheelers' frustrations and yearnings for something better represent the tattered remnants of the
American Dream.
Literary significance
Stewart O'Nan probed the neglect of Yates in "The Lost World of Richard Yates: How the Great Writer of the Age of Anxiety Disappeared from Print".
Prominent authors, such as
William Styron,
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
, and
Tennessee Williams, wrote blurbs that appeared on the dust jacket.
Film adaptation
Screenwriter
Justin Haythe adapted the novel for filming. Directed by
Sam Mendes
Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours ...
, the picture stars
Kate Winslet and
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
, while co-starring
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...
and
Michael Shannon.
["Revolutionary Road (2008)"](_blank)
''Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon.
History
Brandon Gray ...
''. Retrieved August 16, 2012. It opened December 26, 2008 to generally favorable reviews and grossed $76 million at the box office.
References
External links
* Joe Gandelman
"Guest Book Review: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates" ''The Moderate Voice'', January 2008.
* Benjamin Lytal
"Reconsiderations: Richard Yates's 'Revolutionary Road'" ''The New York Sun'', July 2, 2008.
*
Adelle Waldman"Blaming the 'Burbs"(essay on the novel and film), ''The New Republic'', December 22, 2008.
{{Authority control
1961 debut novels
1961 American novels
Third-person narrative novels
Tragedy
Novels set in Connecticut
Fiction set in 1955
Novels set in the 1950s
Novels about infidelity
Fiction about abortion
Books about depression
American novels adapted into films
Novels by Richard Yates
Little, Brown and Company books