Big Lies in a Small Town: A Novel

An understanding of Depression-era history in the United States provides useful context for Anna’s story. During the Great Depression, unemployment peaked at nearly 25%, according to the City University of New York. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal implemented huge government spending projects to create jobs and alleviate the suffering of millions of Americans. Part of that New Deal was a Treasury Department-sponsored mural contest. Its intent was to boost optimism by creating public works of art as well as to provide employment for artists. It is in this context that Anna’s story begins, and she makes it clear that, in the aftermath of her mother’s suicide, the commission from her mural will keep her solvent for a while. Although Chamberlain never clarifies why Anna, a resident of New Jersey, is selected to paint a mural in Edenton, her arrival in town and her outsider status sets up the conflict with Martin, which is the catalyst for the novel’s sudden spiral into tragedy. Ultimately, whether or not the selection of an outsider artist like Anna is historically accurate is of little narrative importance, and Chamberlain’s historical research is otherwise thorough.

Another historical aspect to consider is the importance of post offices as community gathering spaces: “Post offices were located in virtually every community and available for viewing by all postal patrons—which made post office murals a truly democratic art form” (Raynor, Patricia. “Off the Wall: New Deal Post Office Murals.” Smithsonian National Postal Museum, 1997). While post offices may seem like quaint relics of the past, they were as vital to a community’s identity as malls later became, or as digital spaces are today. With this in mind, the Roosevelt administration sought to use public art to uplift a nation in distress, and the initiative stands as a testament to the administration’s appreciation of art as both inspiration and social glue. In fact, mural artists were strongly encouraged to keep the imagery “heroic” and avoid the tragic realism of the day, which explains the vigorous debate over whether or not to include the Edenton Tea Party in Anna’s mural. Content was meant to reflect the positive side of the community, and Edenton’s civic leaders therefore prefer to focus on their town’s future rather than on its past. As Toby Fiering, the manager of Edenton’s cotton mill, notes, “But it’s the townspeople who use the post office, and I think they’d rather see the industry of the day” (45). It is noteworthy that, in light of government attacks on the arts in the last few decades—Senator Jesse Helms’s attempts to abolish the National Endowment for the Arts, for example—there was once a time when the arts (and artists) were valued. As Harry Hopkins, Roosevelt’s “relief administrator” said in response to similar criticism, “[Artists] have got to eat just like other people” (Raynor).