The Sterile Cuckoo
by John Nicholsliterary work· published 1965
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The Sterile Cuckoo is a 1965 novel by John Nichols. It tells the story of a quirky young couple – eccentric, imaginative Pookie Adams and conventional, unimaginative Jerry Payne – whose relationship deepens despite their differences, but eventually falls apart. It is largely set at an eastern college in the early 1960s. The title comes from a nonsense poem that Pookie writes near the end of the novel, after she and Jerry have made a suicide pact: Oh, Hi-ho in the Lavender Woods / A Sterile Cuckoo is crying; Oh, Hi-ho in the Lavender Woods / A Sterile Cuckoo is dying; Cuckoo! Cuckoo! / Cuckoo! Cuckoo! In the real dark night of the soul it's always three o'clock in the morning. (F. S. Fitz[gerald] – P. Adams)
Adaptations (1)
The Sterile Cuckoo was adapted into a 1969 film.
The Sterile Cuckoo1969 · film · 107 min · dir. Alan J. Pakula · IMDb ↗Uptight college freshman Jerry Payne finds a carefree friend in zany Pookie. After an awkward meeting on the bus, Pookie quickly works her way into Jerry's life. She makes an unannounced visit to Jerry's campus, and before long annoyance turns to affection, and friendship turns to romance. But with Pookie's increasingly neurotic behavior, how long can this love affair last?
