Cheever's "The Housebreaker of Shady Hill"

Cheever on cover of his collected stories, standing at Scarsdale, N.Y. train station

Time magazine once referred to John Cheever (1912-1982) as "Ovid in Ossining."  Cheever, like the Roman poet Ovid, spun cycles of tales in which characters appeared to morph into others.  He lived in Ossining, New York, in the bucolic hamlet of Scarborough.

Stories like "The Housebreaker of Shady Hill," which we'll discuss Monday night, earned Cheever a reputation as a chronicler of middle-class suburban angst. His body of work, however, encompassed other locales and characters (Italian expats, prison inmates, to name two examples).

In "The Housebreaker of Shady Hill," however, there is more to Johnny Hake's story than meets the eye at first.  He overcomes his difficult early years to achieve a modicum of happiness with his wife and children.  If only Johnny can stay on his boss's good side, and keep his kleptomania in check, he'll be alright. Two cheers for life in the New York suburbs!!