The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

A tangled triangle. In the rural South of the early 20th century, Miss Amelia is the town eccentric, selling corn liquor and dispensing medicine. She takes in her half-sister's son, a diminutive crook-back named Lymon. He suggests they open a café in the downstairs of her large house. Marvin Macy gets out of prison and returns to town; turns out he was married to Amelia but it wasn't consummated. He pleaded, then got angry. Is he back for revenge? Eventually, Amelia and Marvin stage a no-holds-barred fight in the café. Lymon's complicated response to Marvin and to Cousin Amelia figures in the resolution.

The Ballad of the Sad Café, by Carson McCullers (1951), opens on the set of a small town in Georgia. The reader is introduced to Miss Amelia, an independent, lonely woman who owns a small store. On this particular ds Cousin Lymon. Cousin Lymon, despite being a hunchback with rude mannerisms, reveals that Amelia has the ability to be a kind and gentle soul. He helps her discover love—and he becomes her beloved. While Cousin Lymon never returns Amelia’s feelings he instills a change in her. She opens a café, which serves as a meeting place for all of the townspeople. Through the café, the town develops a sense of community and pride. As per usual, though, all people have a troubling history. It turns out Amelia was once married to a man she did not love, albeit for 10 days. He comes back after his stint in the penitentiary to ruin Amelia’s life just like she ruined his. He steals Cousin Lymon’s devotion and, in turn, her ability to love. The novella ends just like it began, with a portrait of a sad town that has nothing to hope for.

Source: Wikipedia