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A review by alexhaydon
Ordinary Love by Jane Smiley
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
2 stories in the Novella, both quiet and and focused on interpersonal dynamics. Ordinary Love, a story about a woman in her fifties with five adult children. We are initially introduced to our protagonist and one of her twin sons, awaiting the arrival of the other twin who has completed a year teaching in India. Both in the anticipation of Michael's homecoming and the interactions to follow on his return, Smiley uncovers the past of this family, explains the destructive divorce and ensuing custody battle which has left them all with their own questions and informed who they are in the present. Smiley's leading lady confronts topics with tact and yet is pensive with tragic honesty. A wonderful character study of a Mother.
Good Will was a complete surprise, ending up somewhere I never would have anticipated at the start of the story. It is quiet, rural and simple. There is much pleasure to be found in the poetic descriptions of everyday living for a family of 3. Contrastingly, at times the prose evoke a more stoic/grey perspective like that of Denis Johnson or Annie Proulx. This narrative is led by the husband of the married couple who despite being a disciplined, off the grid sort of man, finds his life and sense of control unravelling. Despite the way things spiral, he resolves to search for beauty in the world. The story follows a series of months, each revealing more about the characters, in addition to their increasingly predictable demise. Some of the best domestic fiction out there I'd say.
Good Will was a complete surprise, ending up somewhere I never would have anticipated at the start of the story. It is quiet, rural and simple. There is much pleasure to be found in the poetic descriptions of everyday living for a family of 3. Contrastingly, at times the prose evoke a more stoic/grey perspective like that of Denis Johnson or Annie Proulx. This narrative is led by the husband of the married couple who despite being a disciplined, off the grid sort of man, finds his life and sense of control unravelling. Despite the way things spiral, he resolves to search for beauty in the world. The story follows a series of months, each revealing more about the characters, in addition to their increasingly predictable demise. Some of the best domestic fiction out there I'd say.