"She has studied the human heart with understanding ... that no other writer can hope to surpass " Tennessee Williams

Often cited as one of the greatest novels of twentieth-century American fiction, Carson McCullers' stunning first novel was published with instant acclaim when she was just twenty-three years old. The action takes place in a small town in the middle of the deep South. This is the story of John Singer, a lonely deaf-mute, and a disparate group of people who are attracted by his kind, sympathetic nature. The owner of the cafe where the Singer eats every day, a young girl desperate to grow up, an angry socialist drunk, a disappointed black doctor: everyone pours out their heart to the Singer, their silent confidant, and he, in turn, changes their disappointed life in a way he could never have imagined. Touching, sensitive and deeply humane, "The Heart of a Lonely Hunter" explores loneliness, the human need for understanding and the search for love.