"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck is one of the preeminent American authors and it's easy to understand why. He shows you his characters in such a specific manner you can't help but visualize them as the the action unfolds. This book was far shorter than I expected and it was not as good as I hoped. I could be spoiled by knowing how the story ends but, regardless, I felt certain aspects of Lenny's character were heavy handed. I can say it is the one aspect of his writing I don't enjoy. The characters, flow of the story, and assessment of the human condition are models to aspire to. If he is, at times, overtly obvious about the theme it was probably called for by the period in which it was written. Not unlike the nomadic Okies in "The Grapes of Wrath" getting no breaks in attempting to better their lives, George and Lenny are victims of their circumstance and, try as they may, are unable to extricate themselves from the subservient status. I'm not in a hurry to find another Steinbeck but I'll be happy to read him again in the future.