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withanhauser 's review for:
The Maze at Windermere
by Gregory Blake Smith
In "The Maze at Windermere," Gregory Blake Smith weaves together five separate stories, separated by time, but joined by place. The novel stands as an impressive showcase of Smith's abilities as an author, as the stories vary in their narrative perspective, and their protagonist's gender, age, and moral values.
Apart from their common setting (Newport, RI), it's difficult to glean a unifying theme across all the stories. Certain ideas and issues crop out in a few—but not all—of the stories. In both the Henry James storyline and the Franklin Drexel storyline, the main characters discuss the interplay of art and life, as James treats the two as distinct items (removing himself from the former, to focus on the latter) and Drexel focuses on the interplay between the two (trying to inject art into life). And, in the Franklin Drexel and Sandy Allison storylines (and, perhaps the Henry James storyline), the protagonists wrestle with the theory of the Heiress's Dilemma—that a wealthy woman cannot know whether a man truly loves her, or is just interested in her money (Allison seems to gain the most insight into the dilemma, finding that even where a suitor's love may be sincere, the uncertainty created by the dilemma will ultimately undermine any relationship). Finally, in the Henry James and Major Ballard storylines, both James and Ballard discuss the idea of life as a checkered game board—and how each strives to find squares off the board itself (for James, these invisible squares serve as a vantage point to observe, but not experience, real life; for Ballard, they serve as a means of deceit and wickedness). "The Maze at Windermere" is most satisfying when Smith draws these common themes out.
Each of Smith's main characters reads as complex and conflicted. Sandy Allison is frustrated by his own kindness, and confused over whether to act with more duplicity (by adopting the "killer instinct" he's unconsciously eschewed). Franklin Drexel soberly acknowledges his own duplicity, but arguably acts more out of the intolerance of the times than out of an immoral indifference to others. Henry James struggles to articulate his need to be removed from others, and quietly, but assuredly, accepts the pain his withdrawnness causes. Major Ballard appears wholly wicked—but, he hints at a depressed past, and ultimately seems driven more by a fevered obsession than by lust or revenge. And Prudence Selwyn struggles with her own recent orphancy, and the same orphancy she imposes on her slave. Smith only spends, on average, 68 pages on each storyline, but nonetheless manages to create full and compelling characters in each.
Of the five, I most enjoyed the Sandy Allison storyline. The plot has a unique twist. And, its protagonist's confusion as to his own feelings (whether he's driven by sincere love, or by a desire to attack life) and the feelings of those around him (whether they attack life themselves; whether they can be trusted) is a very interesting and engaging issue. I think I would have enjoyed any of the novel's five storylines as a standalone novel, but I think the Sandy Allison storyline had a depth that the others comparatively lacked.
Apart from their common setting (Newport, RI), it's difficult to glean a unifying theme across all the stories. Certain ideas and issues crop out in a few—but not all—of the stories. In both the Henry James storyline and the Franklin Drexel storyline, the main characters discuss the interplay of art and life, as James treats the two as distinct items (removing himself from the former, to focus on the latter) and Drexel focuses on the interplay between the two (trying to inject art into life). And, in the Franklin Drexel and Sandy Allison storylines (and, perhaps the Henry James storyline), the protagonists wrestle with the theory of the Heiress's Dilemma—that a wealthy woman cannot know whether a man truly loves her, or is just interested in her money (Allison seems to gain the most insight into the dilemma, finding that even where a suitor's love may be sincere, the uncertainty created by the dilemma will ultimately undermine any relationship). Finally, in the Henry James and Major Ballard storylines, both James and Ballard discuss the idea of life as a checkered game board—and how each strives to find squares off the board itself (for James, these invisible squares serve as a vantage point to observe, but not experience, real life; for Ballard, they serve as a means of deceit and wickedness). "The Maze at Windermere" is most satisfying when Smith draws these common themes out.
Each of Smith's main characters reads as complex and conflicted. Sandy Allison is frustrated by his own kindness, and confused over whether to act with more duplicity (by adopting the "killer instinct" he's unconsciously eschewed). Franklin Drexel soberly acknowledges his own duplicity, but arguably acts more out of the intolerance of the times than out of an immoral indifference to others. Henry James struggles to articulate his need to be removed from others, and quietly, but assuredly, accepts the pain his withdrawnness causes. Major Ballard appears wholly wicked—but, he hints at a depressed past, and ultimately seems driven more by a fevered obsession than by lust or revenge. And Prudence Selwyn struggles with her own recent orphancy, and the same orphancy she imposes on her slave. Smith only spends, on average, 68 pages on each storyline, but nonetheless manages to create full and compelling characters in each.
Of the five, I most enjoyed the Sandy Allison storyline. The plot has a unique twist. And, its protagonist's confusion as to his own feelings (whether he's driven by sincere love, or by a desire to attack life) and the feelings of those around him (whether they attack life themselves; whether they can be trusted) is a very interesting and engaging issue. I think I would have enjoyed any of the novel's five storylines as a standalone novel, but I think the Sandy Allison storyline had a depth that the others comparatively lacked.