Affliction

AFFLICTION

by Russell Banks

 

Nomination: PEN/Faulkner Finalist 1990

 

Date Read: September 4, 2021

 

Told from the perspective of his brother, Affliction follows the downward spiral of Wade Whitehouse. While Wade has never had his shit fully together, he quickly becomes undone by a local deer hunting shooting. The incident is considered an accident but Wade is hell-bent on investigating it as a homicide.

 

Wade’s life has never been easy. His father is an abusive alcoholic that terrorized his three children and his wife. They live in a very small, New England town that is economically challenged. Opportunities to rise above one’s circumstances are just about non-existent. Add to this a lack of education, marrying the same woman twice and being the father to a daughter that really doesn’t like Wade and you can see that Wade’s life is depressing.

 

When we meet Wade, he is occasionally boinking Margie, a kind woman who give him more compassion than he probably deserves. After Wade’s mother freezes to death, she and Wade realize that his father cannot live alone and she agrees to move in with Wade into his father’s house with the intention they will eventually get married. This situation lasts all of two days before Margie realizes Wade and his father really just want to kill each other. She secretly begins plans to move out after having just unpacked.

 

Wade, meanwhile, is traveling high-speed down a conspiracy rabbit hole and chases his co-worker, submerges his boss’ truck in a frozen pond, pulls out his own tooth with some pliars, hires an attorney to get more custody rites with his daughter (as if this is a great idea!) and gets fired from his two jobs as a jack-of-all trades and cop for the small town.

 

In short order, Wade catches Margie moving out and in the drama that unfolds ends up decking his daughter in the face. Margie grabs Jill and takes off with her. When Wade tries to get in his Dad’s truck to chase them, his father beats him over the back with a lead pipe and Wade turns around, grabs the pipe and bonks him over the head with it, killing him instantly. He sets his dad and the surrounding barn on fire, drives up the road and kills his former colleague, Jack, hunting him in the woods like a dear. Then Wade vanishes, much to the relief of everyone around him with a pulse.

 

This leaves me to wonder if Wade hadn’t been exposed to the sadistic alcoholism of his father, would his life have turned out differently? Obviously, moving in with his abuser to care for him is a wildly bad idea but also makes me see a side of compassion in Wade that is totally lacking in other circumstances. The honest answer is I just don’t know. I would like to think that had his childhood been peaceful, he would know how to love and hold those dear to him close, how to love without maiming those he loves. Alas, this is not to be for Wade.