In the hand of any other writer, a macabre little book such as this would come across as overwrought and fall apart from too much nudging and winking at the reader. But only a Brit of Evelyn Waugh’s superb wit and writing prowess could concoct a story of death, cemeteries, suicide, and Hollywood that expertly skewers the American way of life (and the writer’s own countrymen).
Whenever a discussion of satirical novels comes up, the two masterpieces I always think of are Terry Southern’s Blue Movie and Evelyn Waugh’s The Loved One. While the former is stuffed with Southern’s everything-but-the-kitchen-sink style of satire, Waugh’s tome is decidedly more British – spare, dry, and razor sharp in its humor. Southern was such a fan of The Loved One, he wrote a movie adaptation of the novel (although a very Southern-ized version that didn’t quite work as a film).
What still fascinates me to this day about the The Loved One is its perfectness. It is a small novel, almost a novella at 164 pages. But not a word is wasted. Each turn of phrase or change in tone is used to maximum impact.
And then there is the wonderful death-obsessed, macabre quality to what is an almost soap-opera-esque, traditional love-triangle story. A young British ex-pat, Dennis Barlow, washed up in Hollywood, spends his days cremating dead animals at a cheap two-bit pet cemetery, the Happier Hunting Ground. All the while, he’s envious of the glorious necropolis next door, Whispering Glades (inspired by Hollywood’s Forest Lawn memorial Park), with its themed rooms, faux-lakes, and sprawling lawns full of imitation art and architecture. On an unfortunate visit to the memorial park, he falls in love with one of Whispering Glades more skilled “cosmeticians,” Aimée Thanatogenos, who unfortunately is drawn to both Dennis and the seemingly debonair Mr. Joyboy, Whispering Glades premier embalmer, who shows his love for Aimee by creating artificial smiles on the faces of their subjects.
“Now was the moment; his assistant watched with never-failing administration the deft flick of the thumbs with which he turned the upper corners of the card, the caress of the rubber finger-tips with which he drew the dry and colourless lips into place. And, behold, where before had been a grim line of endurance, there was now a smile! It was masterly. It needed no other touch. Mr. Joyboy stood back from his work, removed his gloves and said: ‘For Miss Thanatogenos.’
Of recent weeks the expressions that greeted Aimée from the trolley had waxed from serenity to jubilance. Other girls had to work on faces that were stern or resigned or plumb vacant; there was always a nice bright smile for Aimée.”
Later in the novel, Waugh uses Mr. Joyboy’s penchant for corporeal theatrics to great effect when Aimée spurns her suitor.
“Five miles away Aimée uncovered the first corpse of the morning. It came from Mr. Joyboy bearing an expression of such bottomless woe that her heart was wrung.”
Even the book’s title is a wonderful joke – an expression to ease the queasiness of the mourners who visit Whispering Glades, but also a hint at the books final outcome.
I am surprised that The Loved One is somewhat lesser known than Waugh’s other novels such as Brideshead Revisited, Decline and Fall, Scoop, and Vile Bodies. There could be any number of reasons for this. The novel was written later in his career. It was also one of the few books by Waugh that was set in America and focused less on the British frame of mind. Or perhaps it was the novel’s death-obsession. Waugh expected strong resistance to the novel from readers in the States, partly due to its unflattering portrayal of Americans, but mostly because of its focus on the deceased (and cadavers). And yet, it is one of Waugh’s better novels, ranking up there with any of the previously mentioned gems.
One can only thank a failed attempt by MGM to make a film version of Brideshead Revisited. Had they not flown Waugh in for a short stay in Hollywood, he never would have stumbled upon the inspiration for this wonderful satire.