To Have and Have Not

To Have and Have Not by Ernest  Hemingway (1937) Harry Morgan’s desires are simple.  To captain his boat for tourists who want to go fishing plus whatever other reasonably legal business he can do to support his family.  When his luck goes bad he finds himself forced into ever more dangerous jobs with ever mounting costs to the captain and those around him.

I’m not sure how to dive right in on this.  It’s Hemingway so it a story compactly told.  It is humorous and tender and grittily realistic.  There are moments when you see the master’s touch with language, as he creates a clearly conceived world.  The Key West found here is an infinite spectrum of grays.  Nothing is clear cut.  Everything is negotiable.

At the same time, it is a story of one man’s struggles against powers far beyond his abilities and understanding.  Innocence and innocents will be devastated along the way, and the bad guys don’t always get theirs.  It is a masterfully told story.

It’s not always an easy story to follow.  Hemingway bounces around the narration’s point of view, plus the story began life as two short stories and a novella.  If you like your storytelling in an orderly, linear fashion “To Have and Have Not” may grate a bit.

Why I Liked It – The Key West that Hemingway creates isn’t a simple place.  So the story shouldn’t be told in a simple fashion.  It weaves and swerves and comes to a shuddering halt along the way.  It’s how the characters lose their way.

Why You Will Like It – Harry Morgan.  The character was very human and very compelling.  Even when both the captain and the reader know he is making the wrong decision, you want him to make it through.

Rating – **** Recommended