I first came by Anita Brookner via her Booker Prize winning novel,
Hotel Du Lac
; purchased in my favorite bookstore in Paris, which is the setting for part of this novel. I'm sure some might debate the technical merits of this one against her award winner, but I found them both quite enjoyable and insightful; the differentiation I'll leave to the literary specialists.
Speaking of which, the protagonist, Dr Ruth Weiss, is a Professor and literary specialist on Honoré de Balzac. The first chapter depicts her in that mid-life role, but the vast majority of the book concerns how she assumed that role, her "debut" into the adult world, as she managed to shake off the influences of a highly dysfunctional family situation, and found solace in literature. Brookner introduces one of the central themes early, in the form of non-translated French, a quote from Balzac's "
Eugenie Grandet
." Like many other English writers of a certain class, she assumes that her readers understand the language of the diplomatic world (well, at least of the 18th Century). And if you'll excuse my French, as it were, she states the fear of many a woman who worries that her wit, intelligence and character just might not be enough for him; that the deciding factor will be her physical beauty.
Ruth's mother, Helen, is an actress passed her prime, endlessly reminiscing of her triumphs, on stage, and sometimes in bed, and now enveloped in hypochondria. Her father, George, used to own and run a bookstore, but has now taken to some modest philandering, rationalized since it is not fully consummated. There is the live-in "housekeeper" of sorts, Mrs. Cutler, who provides a useful foil. Ruth does escape to Paris, to continue her work on Balzac, and is taken advantage of by various so-called friends. Still, she struggles, maintains her dignity, and comes of age, but there is the constant vortex of doom, her family situation, and their needs, that pull her back to England.
Brookner delightfully re-packages an aphorism by Oscar Wilde: "Work, she thought, is a paradox; it is the sort of thing people do out of sheer inability to do anything else. Work is the chosen avocation of people who have no other calls on their time." The author's core strengths (as they say in business) are observations on the male-female relationships. Consider: "She studied the couple closely, as if they were an unknown species. They were, in fact, an unknown species. They were happy." Or, "Hugh also took Ruth back to her room one day and started to make love to her; she was so amazed that she forgot all the routine objections." Throughout the novel, Ruth receives many an unsolicited "improvement" comment from the more worldly-wise Anthea. Finally, Ruth asks her, concerning those aforementioned relationships: "Is it all a game, then?" Anthea looked sadly back. "Only if you win," was her reply. "If you lose, it's far more serious." Finally, in terms of quotes, Brookner might be considered a traitor, at least to her gender, for this one: "Some women take advantage. Once they're married, and they've got a good husband, they think they can do what they like. And if they take him for granted"- she paused significantly-"they just don't bother any more."
Overall, Brookner weaves an excellent story, erudite, well-placed, and informed on the human condition. The author's style is a rare mixture of understated British humor surrounding a tale that goes deep into the heart of sadness. A marvelous 5-star read that has pushed me to read Eugénie Grandet, if not even more of Balzac.
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Top reviews from other countries
Dorian Gray
that rarest of rare things : a book worth reading again
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 2, 2017
mr peter r mack
A total con!!!! .....Warning
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2018