Rarely do I get to enjoy the feeling of reading something that feels like a hidden gem. Book marketing is a huuuuuge business so by the time I know about it, so does everyone else. That doesn’t say anything about the book’s merit, but it definitely feels cool to be able to introduce people to a book they may have been sleeping on. That’s where The Auctioneer, by Joan Samson, comes in.
The Auctioneer’s vibe could best be described as creeping discomfort. Published in 1976 as Samson’s sole work it’s a book that can go easily unrecognized on top lists, but it shouldn’t. In fact, its central idea of a charismatic man showing up one day to take advantage of folks living in rural America is probably more relevant now than ever.
What happens to this small town’s inhabitants could happen to anyone. Maybe it could happen to you. It’s a cautionary tale of what happens when you ignore red flags, go against your gut and become afraid to stand alone. At first the auctions are proposed as a way to get rid of people’s household junk and fund the fire department. Then a series of unprecedented crimes begin to take place, prompting a need to fund a continually growing police force. Strange things occur as neighbors growing increasingly wary about talking to one another.
The auctions continue, becoming less and less voluntary, and before the townspeople know it there are items being auctioned off that no one was prepared for. Samson explores themes about how we choose who we put our trust in and what we are capable of when we have nothing left to lose. The ending will make for some very interesting book group discussions as there are multiple ways to interpret the ultimate choices that the townspeople make.
You definitely begin the book thinking to yourself, “I’d never fall for something like this,” but I’d challenge you to dig into its meat and not see yourself reflected in these characters who may be too trusting, too polite, too unsure, too afraid. What would you allow someone to get away with?
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