Blue Calhoun

Blue Calhoun (1992) is a Southern literary novel by Reynolds Price. In the book, the narrator describes his intense attraction to a teenage girl for whom he gave up a happily married life. Receiving mixed reviews for its bold subject matter, many critics compare it to Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. Price is a bestselling writer from North Carolina. Although he is best known for his novels, he has also written numerous short stories, poetry, plays, and essays. Before becoming a writer, Price taught English at Duke University. He once was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Blue Calhoun takes place near Raleigh, North Carolina. The protagonist is the eponymous Blue Calhoun. In 1956, he is a 35-year-old man married to Myra Burns. They have one daughter, Madelyn, and Blue adores her. Happy with his family, they live a devout Catholic life. Not taking a single moment with his wife and daughter for granted, he counts his blessings every day. Blue hasn’t always had a comfortable life, which is why he appreciates what he has now.

The book begins with a short prologue set 30 years later in 1986. Blue writes a letter to his granddaughter, begging her forgiveness for a crime or a sin he hasn’t yet revealed. He hopes she doesn’t read the letter until she is old enough to understand its full implications, but most of all, he hopes that she will find it in her heart to forgive him for what he has done.



Back in 1956, when Blue is 35, he has been sober for nearly two years. It is the longest he has gone without alcohol since as far back as he can remember; he stopped drinking because it was ruining his family. He works as a sales assistant, selling musical instruments, at the Atkinson Music Company. Located in an antique music shop, it is the last place he expects to land himself in trouble. Unfortunately, his troubles are just beginning.

Blue remembers the exact day everything changed for him. It is April 28th and the shop is empty because it is so hot outside. His only customer is Rita Absher, whom he has known since high school. She brings her daughter, 16-year-old Luna; they’re looking for an autoharp. As soon as Blue sees Luna, he thinks he is looking at the most beautiful girl in the world. He knows it is wrong—she is a teenager and he is married—but he has never felt attraction like this before.

The days go by, and Blue can’t stop thinking about Luna. He is tempted to start drinking again to make the thoughts go away, but he doesn’t give in. Instead, he contemplates how he can see Luna again. Although he loves his wife, he doesn’t know if he can look at her with the same admiration and desire anymore, because she is not as beautiful as Luna.



Luna is like a drug to Blue. His interest in her is obsessive, threatening to destroy his family. Unfortunately, Luna seems interested in him, too. She has never had good relationships with men, and she has been abused. Blue is so kind, caring, and loving that she can’t stop herself falling in love with him.

Luna reminds Blue of his lost youth. He wonders if his life would have turned out differently if he had made better choices in his younger years. His main problem is that he is lazy and noncommittal. He tried everything from piano lessons to baseball, and he could not commit to anything. He was too lazy to practice, and he didn’t study hard. He dropped out of college at 19 and joined the US Army, but it wasn’t the life for him.

The longest commitment Blue has ever had is his marriage to Myra. Despite his determination to stay faithful, he begins a sexual relationship with Luna. He struggles to look Myra and Madelyn in the eye knowing he is betraying them both. He feels dirty. Still, he keeps seeing Luna until his wife eventually finds out the truth.



When Myra discovers the affair, she gives him another chance. He promises to stop seeing Luna, but the promise is short-lived. He and Luna continue sleeping together on and off for years, and every time Myra catches him, she gives him another chance. She claims it is her duty as a Catholic wife to fight for her marriage, but even she is tired of Blue’s behavior.

Thirty years later, when Blue has a granddaughter, he decides she is the perfect person to confess his sins to. He is also worried because his granddaughter reminds him of Luna. Her father is absent, and she craves attention from older men. He worries that she will end up in an unhealthy relationship, and he does not want that for her. Blue Calhoun is as much a warning to Blue’s granddaughter as it is a confession.