Radio Static

 

In Tess Gunty’s novel, The Rabbit Hutch, Gunty draws heavily on feelings of loneliness and isolation. Throughout the novel, many characters’ lives intertwine within their own stories. However, the gap of “stranger” is never closed. For example, Blandine and Todd live in the same apartment and know nothing about each other. In one moment of the novel, Blandine attempts to watch television alongside Todd. Naturally, both characters are out of their element and the interaction ends with Todd telling Blandine, “‘We happen to live in the same apartment. That’s it. End of story,’” (233). Todd and Blandine share nothing beyond a living space. Their interactions are brief and awkward like many throughout the novel. Additionally, the building itself has very thin walls, yet nobody is completely attuned to what their neighbor is doing. Gunty often zooms in and out of units in the Rabbit Hutch apartment complex and in one such moment a teenage boy thinks, “[Y]ou can hear everyone’s lives progress like radio plays,” (282). By comparing the lives of other residents as radio plays, the idea that you can “change the channel” or listen in on another neighbor’s life springs to my mind. Although many options may be available to tune into, radios channel often have scratches and bad connections, leaving us to fill in the gaps. Once again, the characters are left in a gray area of belonging. Too awkward for casual conversation, but close enough to offer half-hearted smiles.   

As mentioned above, community exists because it is what all characters in the novel lack. Community is the shadow of loneliness directed at the reader. However, it should be noted that Gunty does not leave a forward presentation of community out in full. Although not often, Gunty writes about a newlywed couple who appear to have the healthiest relationship of any other characters. The couple, Hope and Anthony, recently welcomed a new baby. Through their marriage the reader is presented an equal partnership in the novel. Their marriage leaves the reader feeling content to see a relationship that benefits both parties, but prompts the question: What can be considered a community, and at what point does a relationship become community?