Marilynne Robinson has honed a style that has achingly beautiful poetic qualities. Every sentence is carefully laid out one after the other: there is not a single sentence that wasn’t a joy for me to read. Granted, this book may be a bit slow-paced for some people’s tastes. It is almost completely character-driven and the sort of book that is often criticized by readers on the grounds that “nothing happens.” I won’t altogether deny that; it’s not a thriller that tears you along through its plot, so I will say that it’s not a book for everyone. However, if you enjoy dysfunctional families, heavy on character and light in action scenes, this book is for you. Personally, I was still very much engaged by the book because I found the characters and the setting so interesting. Robinson really develops a great backdrop for the novel: unusual, unsettling, and an intriguing place for the book to take place.
I’ve seen some reviewers say that this book is for women only; I disagree. The only reason one might think so is because almost all the characters are female and the primary character relationships explored in this novel are between sisters and aunts/nieces. However, the story runs much deeper than that. At the heart of this book is a story about living a rootless existence and the lack of stability and the results of such an upbringing.
I highly recommend this book to readers who have a deep appreciation for language and choose books for their lyrical carefully laid out styles. Think of E. Annie Proulx– Robinson’s style is comparable; if you like Proulx, I would give this novel a try.
-PTB
