In 2001, Christian radio personality Harold Camping indicated the End of Times, Judgment Day, (aka the Rapture), would occur on May 21, 2011. While this prediction was a source of amusement for many, it was taken seriously by many of Camping’s followers and listeners of his radio program who took his word for gospel.
In Joy, PA, Abigail Augenbaugh is one of the devoted listening to a radio program, which may very well have been Camping’s. She is certain the Rapture is coming in three days, and she is determined that she will be one of the Elect taken to Heaven when Jesus Christ returns. Steven Sherrill’s fourth novel begins with Abigail teaching her son, Willie, how to pray in preparation for Judgment Day. Willie is young or possibly suffering a disorder in brain development (perhaps both.) He does not fully grasp the concept, but Abby’s concern is merely to prepare her family for the events that will unfold over the next few days. Beyond that, she suspects Willie will be on his own.
Her husband Burns, a veteran of the Iraq war, spends his time in the basement watching pornography and playing video games on the Xbox stolen from Willie. He suffers from his own demons, whether from his time spent in the Army or perhaps from events that took place before he left for Iraq. He takes medication to combat them. The pills leave him lethargic and soft and his memory fractured. Sometimes he is aware of his wife and son upstairs, while at other times he has a vague memory of the possible existence of others in his house, though not always sure if that is his life or the life belonging to someone else.
Willie, the unfortunate product of this coupling, wants to believe the Rapture is coming because his mother believes it. He doesn’t understand what it means to pray but is scared to admit to his mother that he lied to her. He views his father as a war hero. Despite wanting to have a relationship with his father, he is frightened by him and has been warned to not venture into the basement.
These three characters make up the meat of this slim novel. Their stories are told in brief sections over the course of three days leading up to May 21, or Judgment Day. A mathematical symbol represents each character: An upside down capital letter A for Abby (∀) that symbolizes “for all”, a slashed equals sign for Willie (≠) symbolizing inequality, and (≪) for Burns symbolizing “much less than.” These symbols match the characters’ personalities and motivations: Abby wants to reach as many people as possible with teachings of the Rapture by handing out tracts and sharing her thoughts with anyone who will listen; Willie wants to be accepted by both of his parents, while he is internally conflicted about how to make that happen, all the while feeling superheroic in comparison to his parents (and everyone else) whom he often views as weak; and Burns struggles with the disappointment of his life at least when he’s cognizant of the life happening around him.
The point-of-view shifts are unusual in that they each have a distinct voice which comes not so much out of their words or actions, but by the perspective. Abby’s sections are told in third person perspective, Willie’s in first person, and Burns in second. This unique approach to telling concurrent stories allows the reader a different, fraught relationship with each character. The events that unfold throughout the story are told from each character’s perspective in a way that creates a slow burn, rather than a rapid fire. Each carries demons evident on every page, leaving the reader with a sense of sadness knowing these characters are lost in their own realities.
The sentences are all brief, almost detached: “Wasps live in my mouth. I smell like motor oil and dirt. I smell like nothing. Absence.” The words are sharp and visceral as they are throughout the book. No word managed to reach my eyes without tapping on them with sharp fingernails. This was not always an easy read as the events portrayed are progressively violent and raw, but a strangely satisfying read in the imperfection of the featured characters that simultaneously evoke pity and revulsion. This book is not for the faint of heart.
There is no actual place called Joy in the state of Pennsylvania, though it could easily represent any number of places both throughout out the state and the country trying to build a new personality in a postindustrial era. The old, working class towns and cities are constantly at odds with themselves as they expand into gilded versions of the elite, leaving behind the factory workers and industrialists. The name of this fictitious town of Joy is of the highest irony as there is nothing joyful in the home or lives of these characters, but ultimately, joy is everyone’s goal.
Joy, PA
Steven Sherrill
Louisiana State University Press
ISBN 978-0807159569