A delightful, fast-paced ending to this story and once again I find myself loving Faulkner's style. Though I struggled through (thought it terribly plodding) the first quarter of the book that set up the environment and the characters, the base he laid down for us clearly had a purpose in that we become comfortable with the characters, already know how they interact, and then can more easily see them more intimately as they face the conflicts of Faulkner's tale.
Just as with his characters, Faulkner lays down a simple base situation and then creates the complications that keep one on edge. A stolen automobile turns into a trade-off for a horse that makes a race necessary to win back the car. The horse is known to balk at running ahead and then we find the horse has been stolen prior to being traded so there is that extra need to sneak around as more folk get involved. Faulkner gives us side stories too; the whorehouse with Miss Reba, and Miss Corrie who is inspired by Lucius not to ply her trade but find a decent way to make a living–which of course messes up Boon Hoggenbeck's plans and causes even more trouble with the southern lawman Butch.
But the characters, and the close look at their personal interactions and particularly the way black and white keep close yet at a distance to each other is the heart of the story. Ned is not what he seems, he is a clever man who knows the ways of blacks and whites both and knows how to fit in either world to suit himself without compromise. And Faulkner shows us the differences between the cultures and yet ends the story with the Boss and Colonel Lincomb and Mr. van Tosch, the horse's owner, wheeling and dealing on the final outcome of a race with the same sense of finagling that Ned applied.
There are themes that run through the story that hold it together beyond the racial issues and the friendships; Minnie's gold tooth that means so much to her that the boy Otis steals. The evil natures of Otis and Butch against the honesty of Lucius or Ned. The ability to change, or strive to improve by watching others and learning; this comes to Lucius, of course, as an eleven year-old boy who learns he can lie and steal and yet shows others how he keeps his promises, is loyal, and willing to defend the dignity of others, as he does with Miss Corrie. Boon Hoggenbeck gets himself into more trouble than ever simply by the boy's influence and example.
Faulkner has each character wanting something and shows how they will go about getting it; this is a major element of fiction and he has endowed each of the main characters with a desire, a means, and an ultimate decision to make and they all come out finding what they need at a price they were willing to pay.
Loved the story, loved the intricacy of the plots that Faulkner neatly brought together through introductions of new characters and conflicts. All I need to remember is that starting a Faulkner novel is the toughest part; enjoying and finishing it is easy.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology