The Edge Of Sadness

THE EDGE OF SADNESS

by Edwin O’Connor

 

Award: Pulitzer Winner 1962

 

Date Read: December 18, 2022

 

Father Kennedy is a priest at Saint Paul’s, an impoverished and run-down parish in the Catholic diocese. He has fallen from grace, having spent many years as an alcoholic and in a rehab of sorts, losing his favored position of priest at Saint Raymond’s, a wealthy and well-regarded church. 

 

Father Kennedy, in his younger years was very close to Helen and John, two of the five children of Charlie Carmody. Charlie is a wealthy man and manages his various real estate holdings in Boston, which are mostly comprised of tenements. Charlie is a very odd man, altering reality to suit himself, often passing off lies to make himself look better but without the malice of intending to lie. Overall, his personality evokes a narcissist. I know that word is thrown around quite a bit lately, but when the shoe fits…

 

John, now known as Father Carmody, also joined the church around the same time as Father Kennedy and was promoted to priest of Saint Raymond’s after Father Kennedy left a vacancy to recover from his addiction. Although their friendship has endured the test of time, at no time prior has Father Kennedy had a close relationship with Charlie, so when Charlie calls out of the blue to invite Father Kennedy to his birthday celebration, he is shocked.

 

Charlie has seemed to glom onto Father Kennedy because Charlie and Father Kennedy’s father were childhood friends. In Father Kennedy’s recollection, however, his father never spoke that highly of Charlie and was aware of Charlie’s blatant self-promotion and egoism. This is yet another instance where Charlie is not only aggrandizing himself, but also the past. Father Kennedy does enjoy catching up with his childhood friends, however.

 

O’Connor is a master at the detailed, inner workings of the mind and is able to convey the ruthlessness and self-interest of Charlie with surgical precision. After suffering from a heart attack, Charlie confesses to Father Kennedy his awareness that he has sacrificed friendship for business and that even his children do not love him. Of course, after he unexpectedly recovers, Charlie creates the necessary excuse of his delirium to deny any of the confessions he made.

 

The plot takes the back seat here to the inner workings of the characters to, IMHO, great success. We are privy to the flashbacks, shortcomings and regrets of each of these characters and to mourning the loss of John, who suddenly passes away from an hernial hemorrhage. Before he passes, however, he accuses Father Kennedy of also withdrawing himself from his parish and not giving all of himself, but relying on his curate to carry the bulk of the load. 

 

O’Connor is such a gifted author and many have commented on his maturing through this work. I fully understand and applaud his winning the Pulitzer for this book.

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