Published to wide acclaim in 1976, but almost neglected since then, The Auctioneer is a bona fide classic of American literature. The story of John Moore, his wife Mim, and his mother, it is a gripping tale of greed in a small town being quietly overrun by auctioneer Perly Dunsmore

I read Stephen King * Needful Things and apparently this novel inspired it. Why, I couldn’t tell. I hated it. I was bored. I couldn’t wait for it to be finished. There’s no supernatural element. I was expecting one and I was disappointed.

In ‘The Auctioneer’, John and his wife Mim lead a decent life together with their daughter Hildie as well as John’s mother. However, the idyllic little town that they call their home soon changes with the arrival of a mysterious auctioneer, Perly. The stranger holds weekly auctions for townies and strangers, using items donated by citizens of Harlowe. Dunsmore wants to use the money raised for expanding the police force and building up the town. It starts with old wheels and moth-bitten clothes. But it doesn’t stop there. Before long, more people start leaving while the others live in fear especially every time they have visitors..

Perly stood as if frozen in place, watching the turmoil beneath him spread. “Just remember this,” he said in a deep voice that cut neatly through the confusion. “Whatever I’ve done, you’ve let me do.

I lost track of how many times John, the MC, wanted to put a stop to things, then his wife stopped him and immediately afterwards would start to complain that John didn’t stand up for himself. Then John’s mother has to throw her two cents in and tells John that he’s clearly overreacting right before she pulls a 180 and complains about him not resisting. There were multiple points where the story might have improved/become interesting if the women in his life would have just kept their mouths shut for a few minutes.

There’s no way that the auction would have continued for that long before someone put a bullet in the auctioneer or the deputies when they came collecting “donations”. These are all farmers in the 70’s. People were shot for a hell of a lot less. Sure, the bad guys eventually disarmed everyone and took all of their guns, but it was almost as an afterthought. It happened long after those guns should have been used to, at a minimum, drive the bad guy out of town.

The good points: Contributing to its short shelf-life, Samson wrote The Auctioneer in her 30s and died of cancer shortly after it was published. Her death is our loss as she has talent. The one point I gave a star for is how the story showcases how “unwanted” change can stealthily creep in on even the most complacent of towns. We are shown the old-time values, and how they contrast with “newer” lifestyles in more populated regions. Even the most loyal of citizens can be taken in by smooth-talking charlatans if the topic is right.

The Bad Points: Characters are flat and un-inspiring. None of them are likeable. There’s no-one to root for. Ridiculously slow reading.