August 18, 2009

what i loved :: siri hustvedt

Title: What I Loved

Author: Siri Hustvedt


Publisher: Picador, 2004

Read: August 2009; NYC

, NYC>BOS
Format: mass market paperback


1 Minute Summary: Before losing his vision completely, art history professor and narrator Leo Hertzberg sets out to record the last 25 years of his life. His reverie begins in 1975 when he meets and befriends rising artist Bill Weschler. What follows is Leo’s account of their friendship and the convergence of their lives: an exploration of their marriages, children and the challenges that shape both of their families.


At fewer than 400 pages, a sprawling plot and rich subtext make
What I Loved pretty dense - especially for a contemporary novel. It's kept simple enough through its organization, though: the story is told in flashback format - but chronologically - and is organized into three distinct parts.


Part one is heartiest in both plot and message. Here, the foundation is set in detail: the two men meet, their wives are introduced, friendship grows between the couples, each has a child and we follow the progress of both families until tragedy strikes. It's also in part one - from before the children are born until they are very young - that we are shown the main characters most consumed by their academic and artistic pursuits. Through descriptions of the couples’ works and conversations, we are exposed to their world views. To be totally honest, I got a little nervous at these frequent philosophical-waxings. I felt it teetered a little too close to pretentious at times and I was afraid I'd find the characters irredeemably insufferable if it didn't ease up.

Thankfully, it did. The characters' focal points soon moved from their own careers/output to their new families, and so went the focus of the text. Where Hustvedt initially appears sort of heavy handed in demonstrating the intellectualism of the couples (and of that particular time in New York City), it becomes clear that she's just laying the groundwork for the artful development of her story.


Part two deals with the fallout of a tragedy (pardon the vagueness - no spoilers!). The reactions in this section echo the characters' philosophical deliberations from part one. We see how their individual beliefs inform their internal experiences of sorrow, but we also witness their earnest grief in action. This section is largely concerned with sadness and what distance and time can do to affect one's experience of pain. Very little 'happens' in part two and yet it's riveting nonetheless, highlighting the effectiveness of Hustvedt's graceful and feeling prose.

The third part is markedly different from the rest of the book. The primary concern of this more plot-driven, sometimes caper-like, section are the sociopathic, compulsive actions of one of the sons and the adults' evolving reactions to them. The plot unfolds quickly while below the surface we examine how biological, physical and emotional closeness as well as loyalty and familial love are challenged when those very ties are abused. It’s heart-wrenching to see the disintegration of relationships that seemed, until this point, so unwavering.

As a whole, the novel seems focused on perspectives. In particular, it examines how perceptions and perspectives are set and how they can change over time, space and, as one character puts it, how “mixed up” or enmeshed everything and everyone is. When faced with the various events of their lives, our characters are forced to re/consider their loyalties, the way they love and the way they hurt.

As a reader, I felt challenged by the characters' contemplations. More than once, I had to take a break from the text to think about what I'd just read. This isn't something I find myself doing very often. Or ever, really.
The novel is just that affecting. It's taken me a while even just to write this stupid report.

Thoughtful
on so many levels, the added bonus is that the writing is not just beautiful, but often lyrical. Yes, the overall mood is on the somber side, but even when it is at its most elegiac, the words ooze sincerity and intense emotion. Adding, of course, to the book's overall effect.

A beautiful, haunting novel that weighs heavily after reading:
4.5 out of 5 stars

1 comment:

  1. I also found this book to be thought-provoking and emotionally challenging. It's also beautifully written with a subtle, authentic voice.

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