The story of an alienated husband in Chicago during WWII, drafted but in a state of limbo because of his uncertain resident status, being a Canadian by birth. Hence the title, but it signifies everything about his life, from his own inability to take any action about his life and happiness, to his inability to relate to friends and family in a caring way. This is actually a difficult character to feel empathy for, this Joseph. He is by turns belligerent and self-pitying, unable to see how he is the cause of his own problems, until the end of the book when he finally takes a major step to move past the life he is leading. Reminds me a bit of "The Catcher in the Rye", another "classic" with a self-absorbed and unsympathetic protagonist. ( )

Bellow's first novel is not as brilliant as those written during his peak, but it shows flashes. Most interesting to me were the traces of existentialism found herein, which can be seen in a better digested form in Bellow's later work.

Dangling Man is very short, to the point that it can be read in one long sitting. It is an uneven novel, and the characters are not nearly as lively as Bellow's would come to be, but it's still Bellow, and it's still great. ( )