Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

ISBN-13: 9780307454621
Publisher: Vintage Books
Published: May 2008
355 pgs

April and Frank Wheeler seemed to be the perfect couple in anyone's eyes. They are young and beautiful, have two lovely children and although each thinks they would have done better, life appeared to be smooth and serene for them.

Perhaps they married young, or they are just bored with their everyday life but deep down, the relationship between April and Frank is not everyone thinks it is. Frank thinks his job is boring, and April seemed uninterested being a homemaker although she does play on stage. In short, they feel unfulfilled both in their marriage and life. And though they pretend things went on well between them, they knew they are already drifting apart from each other. But then, April believed that things will change for the better if they moved out of the place and start somewhere afresh.

At this point, I felt the story pacing is somewhat slow but there are certainly more characters being introduced to the story. I was thinking more about the two protagonists and wondering if they would do anything to save their marriage, but then things back in the 1950s is very different from the society we are living today. Issue like equality between men and women is not as greatly emphasized as compared today, and then of course no one would like to create a scandal, no matter how unhappy they are.

Then, April starts questioning herself about her feelings for Frank and whether or not if she is prepared to have another child rekindle my interest in this book again and from there, the story seemed to be moving quickly. And I quite enjoyed reading the exchange between Helen (a real-estate broker) and her husband, Howard Givings, who seemed to be able to see underneath the Wheelers' facade.

For readers who are expecting a happily-ever-after ending, I am afraid the ending will be a disappointment but to me, it was like reading a true story of an unhappy couple feeling trapped with their life and in each other. It was sad, and yet powerful and thought-provoking in a way. I feel this book is more than April's and Frank's story, for I think miscommunications and unhappy marriages are common issues still faced by many married couples today.

Richard Yates' writing is beautiful; and the dialogues are sharp and to the point. The author had really done well giving insight to the readers about the characters' thoughts and their emotions. I am looking forward to watching the film adaptation, especially if Kate Winslet is playing the role of April.

Note: I would like to thank Alice for reading this book together with me. (Alice, it has been fun, as usual!)

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