The Cashier

by Gabrielle Roy | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0771091400 Global Overview for this book
Registered by Brookler of Powell River, British Columbia Canada on 8/15/2022
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2 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Brookler from Powell River, British Columbia Canada on Monday, August 15, 2022
A weird little book. Depressing. I didn't really care for it.

Journal Entry 2 by Brookler at Powell River, British Columbia Canada on Monday, August 15, 2022
This book was chosen by its first line, "It was still dark," and is off to Greece!

Journal Entry 3 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Thank you Brookler for this book that I've never heard of -so I'm curious-, your very nice postcard, the Canadian Wildlife Federation bookmark and the Black Water Trail paper badge.

This First Sentences BookBox is always full of surprises.

By the way...

Journal Entry 4 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Tuesday, August 23, 2022
... I found also a yellowed page coming from a notebook, featuring a hand-written recipe (or part of a recipe) tucked inside the book.

It's always fun to make such discoveries...

Journal Entry 5 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Thursday, September 22, 2022
The Cashier reminded me of Stoner by John Williams a bit. It centers around the life of an ordinary man and not much happens in it. The protagonist, Alexandre Chenevert, is living in Montreal, works as a teller/cashier in a bank, is married and has an adult daughter living elsewhere, he tries to keep up with world affairs through the radio and newspapers and that been shortly after the end of WW2, he constantly worries about world peace, global affairs and where humanity is going. His closest friend is Godias, another employer in the bank, but he is not that much intimate even with him.

He is a nerdy, narrow-minded guy who constantly thinks and constantly worries about his place in the world, about how to make ends meet, about if he takes enough space on this earth more valuable to other people, about if he makes enough effort to indirectly support others, if he is the only person having dignity to think deeper, if he has a right to be happy, if it's fair for him to suffer, what his relationship is with god, if he has a right to buy a second suit to wear or to have vacations and so on...

The book touches on many themes that are timely even today, while it is also a product of its time and somehow dated on some aspects. But unfortunately, it didn't impress me much. The self-awareness and constant quest for a meaning, the neurosis of Alexandre and his thoughts, were very tiring after a while.

I appreciate what the author tried to do here, but the book got boring and I couldn't connect with the main character or like him or feel compassion towards him, even when his neurosis and chronic symptoms turned into fatal illness. The way many themes and scenes are handled left me cold and the pace is too slow too.

Personally I think there are many more interesting reads out there, so I wouldn't encourage anyone to give this a try, I'm sorry to say. But on the other hand, books that I didn't get what the hype is about, like the aforementioned Stoner, are liked by many. Different strokes for different folks, horses for courses, a man's trash is an other man's treasure and all that : )

Released on an ATM machine in a National Bank of Greece branch on Piraeus.

Good Luck little book and Don't forget to write your news from time to time!

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