“There are people who will say that this whole account is a lie, but a thing isn’t necessarily a lie even if it didn’t necessarily happen.” John Steinbeck, “Sweet Thursday.”

Everybody has heard of the classic book “Cannery Row” by John Steinbeck. It was one of those must-reads for anybody who grew up in Northern California, and I was probably 17 the first time I read it. Recently, I read it again.

Here’s where Amazon does a nice service. In the book recommendations list, Amazon suggested I read “Sweet Thursday” by Steinbeck. I had never heard of it. Which is shameful for a guy my age with my education who has lived less than 75-miles from the Steinbeck Museum most of my life. And now that I’ve read it, I can’t believe I had never heard of it.

“Sweet Thursday” is the sequel to “Cannery Row.” It is set in Monterey of course, but now it is post-War America, probably about 1948. Many of the same characters from “Cannery Row” are back (Mack, Hazel and Doc all play key roles). The story line contains the themes that are so important to Steinbeck: the basic humanity we all share, the wisdom of those we consider ignorant, and the challenge of just getting by in life. The characters are simply wonderful — they come alive because Steinbeck is brilliant at developing personality with just a few sentences. The details of post-War America all fit, and his descriptions are enough to create beautiful scenery for the reader, but not so much that every reader sees it the same way. There’s probably a literary term for that!

This is not Steinbeck’s best novel — not by a long shot. But it certainly is under appreciated and far better than 99% of the fiction sold today. Go read “Cannery Row” again (admit it … you haven’t read it since high school or college). Then take the time to read “Sweet Thursday.” It was a surprise for me, a special find, a simple and … well, I guess it was a sweet thursday.