(Spoiler Alert): Beneath the love story and the gripping tale of a man trying to remember a lost part of his life, Random Harvest is an immense commentary and critique of England between the two World Wars. It is no coincidence that this story starts with the characters half-heartedly observing Armistice Day. This of course leads to the discussion of Rainier’s memories of WWI and how disappointing life was after the war, as all participants felt there should have been some sort of “well-deserved happy ever after” or the chance to reconstruct the world how they saw fit. It is also no coincidence that news broadcasts of the impending start of WWII is intermittently placed in the story with the intensity of the news increasing along with the climax of the story. Charles Rainier personifies England. Rainier cannot remember the horrible consequences of the Great War; this memory has been lost along with the happiest memories of his life, which occurred very shortly after his return to England. He is left only with the sense that he has lost something important. He gives up his academic and contemplative pursuits early on and takes up the family business. He slowly grows more and more entwined with the emptiness of making a profit. He is, in a sense, “sleepwalking” and so is England. They are all caught up in the business of the stock market and money and really just the STATUS QUO, hence taking up the family business. Again it is not a coincidence that Rainier doesn’t remember his father very fondly, nor does he even see him before he dies, though he had plenty of opportunity to do so. Fortunes and emptiness are coldly passed down from one generation to the next without any thought of meaning or direction. As the humdrum of day-to-day business presses on, initially no one bothers to take news of Germany’s activities very seriously, and even refer to events on the continent as “Hitler’s little war.” They continue throwing parties and partaking in shallow social events with each person looking to secure his or her own interests rather than seeking true friendship. By the end, as Charles Rainier gains his memory back in lightening speed, the start of WWII comes crashing down on England. The lessons learned from WWI come back to Rainier along with the consequences, i.e.… the horror of being a P.O.W. Accompanying those memories are also memories of his true love, Paula. They were poor and happy. They had a son together. They lived with Reverend Blampied, who championed populist rights and movements, and who was always willing to take on big businesses and corporations. As it turned out, shortly after Charles awakened on the park bench lacking memory of this recent life, Blampied died, and Paula gave birth, but the boy died; which is very significant, given that the generation of WWI has squandered the last twenty years and is now sending their offspring off to die as WWII starts. Mrs. Rainier’s comments toward the end are particularly enlightening about this concept. She says: “We’re terribly unready, we missed our ways years ago and found a wide, comfortable road, fine for sleepwalkers, but it had the major drawback of wandering just anywhere at random. Charles always thought that, but as a rich man it wasn’t easy for him to say so. Being rich tied his hands and stopped his mouth and took up his time—so that the wasted years wasted him.” Lastly, as it turns out, Paula is the very Mrs. Rainier who always seems to be hiding something. His true love and happiness has been there with him all along if he could just remember. While it is clear that it is too late to change the past there is hope to change the future. Paula rushes toward Charles just as Harrison comments to her “He is not asleep, he is just resting.” Charles and Paula embrace at the summit of the small and simple English village over looking five counties where he had once proposed to her, now he remembers who she really is to him. And just as the book started with talk of WWI and what should have been, Random Harvest ends with the start of WWII and talk of what is to come. It was written before the United States even entered the war, there was really no knowing what the ending of “another Great War” would mean. Surely the outlook appeared grim to England. This generation was left with much regret that they had let it happen again. However, they were also left with hope that upon “the next Armistice Day, whenever it comes… it will be a different England…" And finally Mrs. Rainier or Paula and Charles Rainier embrace with Paula calling out “oh Smithy it may not be too late.” Written at a time full of despair and regret, Hilton ends the story with profound hope and passion. He is clearly telling us that we can wake up from our apathy, and learn from our history in order to change our futures. James Hilton leaves us with a timeless question, whether or not we too have lost our memories. He challenges us to regain meaning, passion, and love instead of waiting for yet another Great War to do the job for us.
I am struck afresh by the aptness and loving detail of Hilton's description of autumnal London:'For London...was of all cities in the world the most autumnal--its mellow brickwork harmonzing with fallen leaves and October sunsets, just as the etched grays of November composed themselves with the light and shade of Portland stone. There was a charm, a deathless charm, about a city whose inhabitants went about muttering, "The nights are drawing in," as if it were a spell to invoke the vast, spawling creature-comfort of winter. Indeed no phrase...better expressed the feeling of blanketed enclosure, of almost stupefying cosiness, that blankets London throughout the dark months--a sort of spiritual central heating, warm and sometimes weepy, but not depressing--a Dickensian, never a Proustian fug.'It is fascinating that the most interesting story is Mrs. Rainier's and here the novelist is silent. He must be so for the sake of a plot twist but it is curious. Her self-sacrifice and emotional turmoil are not articulated, only hinted at. I wonder if this is a reflection on a certain perception of women's roles--to be noble, to be unrecognized or else reviled as the steel and iron behind a man, to love in silence. She is central to the story yet at its periphery, as mysterious as Rebecca but without her malice. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I did the 1942 film version.
What do You think about Random Harvest (1998)?
RANDOM HARVEST is one of the two James Hilton novels I re-read about every five years or so (the other is LOST HORIZON).It's an engrossing tale of a man who loses his memory due to being shelled in the Great War, eventually finds happiness with a young actress, and then is knocked down on a Liverpool street. He regains consciousness and knows he's a member of a prominent and wealthy family. He begins to reconstruct his life again, knowing all the while that something - and someone - is missing. Eventually he takes over the reigns of the family business and restores it to success, and becomes a successful politician as well. Behind the scenes his enigmatic wife quietly sees to arrange dinner parties and gatherings for the people he must deal with. It seems she was his secretary after he returned to the family business...If this sounds vaguely familiar, it's because RANDOM HARVEST became one of the screen's best-loved romantic films in 1942, starring Ronald Colman and Greer Garson (this was the year of Miss Garson's Oscar triumph in MRS. MINIVER, but she's equally good here).RANDOM HARVEST is well worth seeking out - it was enormously popular and often turns up in used bookstores. It's a pity today's readers aren't as familiar with Hilton (other than LOST HORIZON) as he was a wonderful storyteller.He was also quite clever - I recommend reading the novel before seeing the film, as it features a particular plot device which couldn't be duplicated in the film version, although it works very well on the page.
—Philip
A mystery, a romance, a history of England between the wars. An utterly spellbinding story of lost identity and lost love.I should confess I've always had a soft spot for the B&W movie, even though it is ridiculously melodramatic, or maybe because of that, but defintely because it starred the gloriously beautiful Greer Garson who could make a young boy roll up a sock and stuff it in his own mouth to prevent himself from crying with joy every time she appears on screen.The book is a beautifully structured story switching between first person and third, to tell the story of a WW1 shell shock victim who loses his memory (twice) and struggles to care about a world full of people who understand even less than he does. The way his life, and losses, are revealed is masterful and the author captures emotion in the most unsentimental yet effective ways. I guarantee the last page twist will make you bite back the tears.
—V.
Like several of the other reviewers I had already seen the movie when I picked up the book. That took away the surprise reveal at the end of the book, of course, but it was interesting to consider the different structures; the book worked backwards chronologically beginning with a successful, married Charles Rainier, while the movie started in the asylum and moved forward from that point.While I found the film very moving, I didn't get the same emotional impact from the book - again, probably because the element of surprise was taken away. The book focused more on Charles Rainier / Smithy. I felt the film was more centered around Paula. But enough of the comparisons already...It was an interesting peek into the society and culture of Britain between the wars. Over in the States we have an easier time distancing ourselves from the two World Wars, I think, possibly because of our distance from the Continent. From the point of view of a former soldier in The War To End All Wars turned reluctant, but successful businessman, it was fascinating to see how his life unfolded and his memory eventually returned. Heartbreaking, though, to consider that it took 20 years.For more book reviews, visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
—Emily
