Jefferson Selleck
by Carl Jonas
Nomination: National Book Finalist 1953
Date Read: November 3, 2021
Jefferson Selleck, in diary form, is the self-chronicle of a man recovering from a heart-attack. This attack finds him in middle age, 55 to be exact, and with a doctor’s demand that he be bed-ridden for at least 6 months. A doer, this bed rest is quite a blow and his memoirs are a way for Selleck to occupy his time while he recovers. Speaking into a tape recorder, he begins to examine the life he has lived to this point.
Selleck’s life spans some very interesting times, including Prohibition and its subsequent end, fighting in WWI, requesting to serve during WWII but denied, starting his own company, marrying and raising two children and the general business of day-to-day living.
Of course, this character, facing historic events during the 20’s and 30’s rendered many issues with which to disagree. He believes in top-down economics, which has resulted in the majority of wealth being distributed upwards. He bristles at government intervention in how he manages labor, such as the 40-hour work week and just about everything in the New Deal, established after the Depression.
Yet, for all that I found repugnant, Selleck has a good heart and lives an honest life. He has much to be thankful for. He is active in his community and well-respected. He is loved by his family even though there are disagreements, as all families have. He is well-regarded in business and plays the peace-keeper between his two other partners. Overall, Selleck is your average Joe.
As much as this novel reminded me of The Late George Apley, the portrait painted here is marked by “…recognizability, by fallibility, and by sincerity, which achieves a portrait of an unremarkable but remarkably nice guy.” I can’t say it any better than that.
Referencing Jefferson’s father, I found this statement so contradictory it was funny: “In fact except for prejudices against Negroes, Jews, and Catholics, Father had almost no prejudices whatsoever.”
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