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Welcome

I started this blog in 2013 to share my reflections on reading, writing and psychology, along with my journey to become a published novelist.​  I soon graduated to about twenty book reviews a month and a weekly 99-word story. Ten years later, I've transferred my writing / publication updates to my new website but will continue here with occasional reviews and flash fiction pieces, and maybe the odd personal post.

ANNE GOODWIN'S WRITING NEWS

Two novels about a young woman’s breakdown in the context of enmeshed family relationships

5/8/2017

13 Comments

 
I do like it when your comments challenge my thinking about the novels I’ve reviewed. Norah Colvin is very good in this, and she recently got me wondering, in response to my post Married or single, something’s missing: First Love & All Grown Up, if the connections I see between novels might differ from what others would find. Although I sometimes stress (in an extremely laid-back manner) about my inability to find a partner for a novel overdue its review, I think finding unexpected commonalities is part of the fun. While the link is obvious in Two novels about a passion for vinyl, what could possibly unite a historical novel about a real murder case and a translated novel about a contemporary musician? For me both Lea and See What I Have Done are stories of a young woman’s breakdown in the context of enmeshed family relationships. Now see what you think!

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See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt


On a scorching August morning in the last decade of the nineteenth century Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, were brutally murdered in their Massachusetts home. Andrew’s adult daughter, Lizzie, was charged with the murder and acquitted by a jury unable to believe a woman could do such a thing. If that story sounds familiar it might be due to the skipping rhyme, Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks … Australian Sarah Schmidt’s debut novel reimagines life in that house around the day of the murder and its aftermath.

 
From the first page, when Lizzie discovers her father’s bleeding body in the sitting room, the feverish sensual language draws the reader into the heat, stink and claustrophobia of a house that feels as much a prison as a home. Related from the points of view of Lizzie, her elder sister, Emma, the Irish maid, Bridget, and the hired assassin, Benjamin, who feels cheated of his chance to dispatch Andrew, the novel circles in time, hinting at methods and motivations but without serving up clear answers. Although the police arrive to investigate, See What I Have Done is less a crime novel than a portrait of entrapment in an unhappy family.
 
Lizzie is an embittered young woman, so petulant and childlike it’s hard to believe she is in her 30s and has spent several months on the European Grand Tour. I wondered how much her addled brain stemmed from her mother’s early death (Abby is her stepmother), a life of enforced idleness, the suffocating heat or the doctor’s recent administration of a sedative. Ten years older, Emma has escaped to a friend’s house a fortnight before the murders, due to begin an art course the very day she’s summoned home. The love, loyalty and hatred that bind the sisters is chillingly evoked, reminiscent of the enmeshed relationship in
The Looking-Glass Sisters.
 
The language is audaciously original, but how much you enjoy it might depend on whether you can admire the sentence The clock on the mantle ticked ticked enough to bear its frequent repetition (it appears three times on one page) in Lizzie’s narrative. Although I balked at it even the first time round, I nevertheless appreciate a writer and publisher prepared to bring out something a bit different (especially after our discussion around
Paris Mon Amour). Thanks to Tinder press for my review copy.


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If you’re drawn to fiction about dysfunctional families, and psychological entrapment in the context of a crime, you might also enjoy my own recently published novel,
Underneath.


Lea by Pascal Mercier

When Lea van Vliet is admitted to a psychiatric hospital, her psychiatrist warns her father to stay away, implying their relationship is at the root of her problems. But, to his mind, Martijn van Vliet has been a devoted father. Although he did not want the responsibility of raising a child, since his wife died, he sacrificed his own career as a research scientist to support Lea’s passion for the violin. But what does her love of music and performing really represent, and what pain is it masking? When should a father give his daughter what he thinks she wants and when should he stand back and let her make her own way in the world?
 
Martijn van Vliet recounts the tragedy of his daughter’s mental collapse to a stranger, Adrian Hertzog, as they travel together from Provence to Bern where they both live. Adrian, who has his own issues with distance from a daughter as well as a collapsed career, is immediately drawn into Martijn’s story while unsure whether he’ll be able to bear hearing it. The distancing effect of this narrative device (we are meeting Lea, supposedly the central character, third-hand) is insufficiently compensated for by the parallels between the men’s experience of fatherhood and Adrian is so totally sympathetic I expected some dramatic turnaround the end which, if present,
I failed to notice.
  
First published in Germany in 2007, the English translation by Shaun Whiteside is published this month by Atlantic who provided my review copy.
 
 For more on this topic see my post
Four Fictional Absent Fathers and, for a short story on the intense relationship between musicians and their teachers, Melanie's Last Tune.


The compilation of responses to the weekly flash fiction challenge at the Carrot Ranch is another way in which disparate stories find connection. This week’s prompt is to use sound to create a story, not particularly my strong suit, but Pascal Mercier’s novel gave me a good place to start. Did you know that musicians, while more likely to be paid for their performance than jobbing writers, rarely earn enough to own their instrument? It makes me thankful I don’t have to work on a hand-crafted typewriter!

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Million-dollar violin


The sound was sublime, more mystical than any music. But Lea wasn’t satisfied. Replacing the instrument on its stand she tucked another under her chin. Serenity swept through her father’s body as she slid the bow across the strings. But still not good enough for Lea. He cringed when she picked up the one with the million-dollar price-tag. But the tone! The resonance! The joy that entered through his ears, echoed in his head to be transported by his arteries to his toes. He’d do anything to get it for her. Even give the devil his soul.



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I’ve just sent out the summer edition of my newsletter featuring the launch of my second novel, Underneath; a short story on Wandsworth radio; advance notice of an event in October; six recommended summer reads. Click on the image below if you’d like to read it.

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Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think. If you've enjoyed this post, you might like to sign up via the sidebar for regular email updates and/or my quarterly Newsletter.
13 Comments
Jeanne Lombardo link
7/8/2017 04:32:55 pm

Well, these reviews hit home again. The father (or mother)-child relationship is ripe for dramatic picking. "Novel" take on the Lizzie Borden story indeed. Sadly, I've had a front row seat to the emotional and psychological damage a daughter can suffer when her father refuses to acknowledge his actions. And to the pain that father experiences, too, in the face of an eventual estrangement. As for Lea, perhaps every parent feels that urgent tug to give more than they can to a daughter or son, especially when the child is truly deserving. And good to be reminded of the sacrifices musicians make. What other art form requires such a wildly expensive instrument to be manifested!

Reply
Annecdotist
7/8/2017 05:55:53 pm

Thanks, Jeanne, I wonder if finding that personal connection would make you more or less inclined to read the book? Sometimes we want validation and/or another perspective on our own experience, sometimes it’s just too much.
I think family life provides a lot of material for writers. Then it can be a case of the crazier the better!

Reply
Irene Waters link
8/8/2017 05:03:23 am

Funnily I watched a television documentary on Lizzie Borden in the last week or two. I'm not much tempted with these two books - I have so many on my TBR list I now have to be highly selective. I can relate to your flash. I wanted to buy myself a new flute and by the time I had thrilled at the tone of one I couldn't afford I couldn't bring myself to buy an inferior model. Loved the sentence "The joy that echoed....."

Reply
Annecdotist
8/8/2017 02:09:58 pm

Interesting Lizzie Borden was on TV – I wonder if she’s having a revival!
How lovely to play the flute – or any instrument at all – I did have violin lessons in my teens but never progressed very far. I doubt I’d notice any improvements with a better instrument!

Reply
Norah Colvin link
8/8/2017 12:00:47 pm

Interesting pair of books, Anne. Thanks for the mention. I'm so pleased my comments get you thinking. I've popped back and acknowledged your response to my comment. :)
These two books are not only about the father-daughter relationship, but also about losing a mother early in life. Perhaps the two are somewhat connected, but not always. I agree with your pairing of these. (Now that makes you feel better, doesn't it? :) )
I didn't know about Lizzie Borden but I think this novel sounds quite intriguing. I have to say we have many wonderful writers in Australia, so I'm not surprised the author is Australian. I'm intrigued by the "ticked ticked" in her telling. I'm sure there's a reason for it. One day I'd like to read this one. Lea also sounds interesting. But how well you've done with your flash. Musical instruments are very expensive. Sadly it would be lost on me, but many a trained ear would know. How could a father resist the purchase? He'd never be forgiven if he did.

Reply
Annecdotist
8/8/2017 02:59:25 pm

Thanks, Norah, and I’m intrigued that I knew a children’s rhyme that you didn’t!
You’re quite right, that the mother’s early death is also a commonality in these novels – and a significant one given the research that indicated that death of a mother before the age of fourteen was a significant factor in predicting depression in women (I don’t know whether there are similar predictors for other mental health issues). And yes, parental death can make a family close in on itself, but that’s not the only precursor of enmeshment. I think it’s often about there being something to hide.
So another successful challenge – even though you’re happy with the pairing here – keep them coming!

Reply
Sarah
8/8/2017 02:33:33 pm

I've been wanting to read See What I Have Done. Not enough time...but it really sounds like one I'd enjoy. I have heard from others that Lizzie sounds too young (almost annoying). These both intrigue... :-) And nice flash to go with Lea.

Reply
Annecdotist
8/8/2017 02:50:23 pm

Thanks, Sarah, I know you’ve been busy lately. I haven’t read any other reviews of Lizzie so interesting that you’ve heard from elsewhere she seems young. I wondered if she’d regressed on account of the stifling atmosphere of the home. Let me know what you think if you do find time to read it. It’s certainly a book that is being well hyped.

Reply
Sarah
8/8/2017 03:43:15 pm

I have heard that she seems too young. But I *think* I can deal. That line you quoted made me laugh because I can see that being irritating but I found it interesting. I'll definitely let you know if/when I get to it.

Charli Mills
10/8/2017 02:54:00 am

Of course I would be intrigued by the Lizzie Borden story, having grown up with the rhyme and the historical mystery. However, I think Sarah Schmidt has refreshed the tale with her choice of telling it. It makes me wonder which is more satisfying to the reader -- a revelation to an historical event or literary devices allowing for readers to conclude on their own...hmm.

No, I hadn't thought about musicians not being able to afford their instruments and why would the instrument maker be far more valuable than the player? Like you, I'm grateful someone doesn't have to create what I make words upon.

Reply
Annecdotist
11/8/2017 09:12:53 am

Yeah, that’s an interesting question, Charli. Personally, I probably favour new insights more.
In the case of violins, these instrument makers are long dead so won’t be getting much in the way royalties! I believe it’s often the case that the musicians don’t own their instruments but have on loan from a wealthy benefactor.

Reply
Mick E Talbot link
10/8/2017 07:29:09 am

Whoa, but some things you just have to do, bless!

Reply
Annecdotist
11/8/2017 09:08:21 am

Not sure I get what you mean, but thanks for reading.

Reply



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