Bobbie Ann Mason's "Shiloh"

It is strange to look at the dates and see the author is still living; we have read about so many that are deceased. This one has lived in the times of my life. It is appealing she would write about common people and their life happenings, but many readers want to read about people and lifestyles which stretch their imagination and take them out of their every day routine lives. I found “Shiloh” readable, but not very exciting. This could possibly be from the fact that divorce is such a common place happening today. Even though the sanctity of marriage had begun its decline in the early eighties, rates have soared in the twenty-first century.

Norma Jean reminds me of Mary Freeman’s Louisa. Her fiancée’ had been gone for fourteen years, trying to make his fortune, while Louisa waited patiently at home for his return. However, during those years, she had become very independent and set in her ways. It was very difficult for her to allow him into her life and daily routine without some annoyance. Norma Jean seems to be dealing with the same circumstances. While I believe she cared for her husband, I think she was able to handle the short visits while he was home between trips. I have known several truck driver wives who have had to learn to become independent and strong managers of the home in the extended absences of their husbands. Norma Jean seems to fit this description as well. Her life when her husband was gone seemed to have been very organized. Now that he is home, her routine has been disrupted and the facets of the relationship begin to irritate her. I find it sad that her husband is finally able to devote some time and attention to her and she doesn’t know how to adjust and accept it. I think she feels he is trying to control her while she feels she has been doing fine all the time.

This is a heartbreaking account of a relationship gone bad, due to no specific reason or circumstance. It is a preview of things to come in the area of marriages ending. Today, many people separate and divorce simply because they decide they don’t like each other anymore. It is a sad state of affairs in this modern day of free choice and no accountability.