Madison Heim-Jinivisian // Blog Writer
The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle
HarperCollins // March 31, 2015
400 Pages
Barnes & Noble // HarperCollins
The Harder They Come, T.C. Boyle’s latest novel, centers on a retired couple, Sten and Carolee, struggling to control their delusional son, Adam, and accept his lover, Sara, a woman belonging to the Sovereign Citizens’ Movement, which is made up of anarchists who refuse to acknowledge the laws and regulations of the state. Narrated interchangeably by Sten, Adam, and Sara, this novel explores violence, mental health, and modern society’s impact on human nature and the environment.
Although each character expresses a different, unique opinion about the United States government, the novel is by no means politically charged. Instead, the political thread throughout the novel acts as a vantage point to see the character’s differing personalities. The strong political convictions that collide and mesh between the characters act as a revving up of the tension throughout the novel and create a ticking time bomb of a character, Adam.
Adam, Sten, and Sara are multi-dimensional characters and are what makes the novel so addicting to read. Although there are inconsistencies with the character of Sten, each character is undeniably complicated in an intriguing manner. You are never sure what direction they will take and why. In order to round out Adam’s character, stories of an explorer from the 1800s he relates to, John Colter, are woven into the narration. These breaks in present-day plot act as an interesting divergence that enriches the overall novel. Separated into thirteen parts, each centered on a different place, the novel delves deep, which at times leaves the reader with lingering questions about the characters.
Sara, the opposite of the law-abiding citizens, does not recognize the contract between the people and the law, specifically the enforcers of the law. This attitude gets her into her own kind of trouble in facing possible prison time, which begs the question: why did this not happen to her earlier? With such a powerful, opinionated personality, the reader will find it hard to ignore the question if this is her first time having trouble with the law. Although her life story is not central to the plot of the novel, her character’s underdevelopment creates a bothersome itch as the novel progresses and her controversial actions do become more central to the plot, especially because the reader does not understand why she is performing those particular actions.
Questions much like these arise with the characters of Sten and Adam as well, which is due to lack of background information and history. That being said, the characters are defined uniquely in their own day in the present-day plot. The characters are distinct and tangible, which created an odd, but realistic story. The plot works because of these characters. I cared about them and their relationships with each other, which worked in favor of tension, especially at the culminating point in the novel.
T.C. Boyle has written yet another brilliant and masterful novel. His character and plot configurations never cease to amaze my imagination. Composed of vivid details, intricate characters, and moments of utter darkness and dry humor, this novel is striking and powerful with never a dull moment in sight.
T.C. Boyle will be reading from The Harder They Come on April 22, 2015. This event is sponsored by the Harvard Book Store. Visit harvard.com/event/tc_boyle to learn more and purchase tickets.