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A review by leighnonymous
Private Life by Jane Smiley
2.0
I don't think Smiley will ever be able to top "1000 Acres." She came close with "Duplicate Keys," but this novel fell flat. Margaret, the main character, could not have been more unaware of her husband's harmful and eventually dangerous actions. I couldn't decide if this nescience was willful or if Margaret was simply stupid; she seemed to repress a lot of feelings and her own desires. One of the obvious ones was the 5-year old Margaret spectating at a public hanging, none of which she remembers until the end.
Her husband, Andrew, is surely one of the more egotistical characters I've encountered in literature; I'm uncertain if he was schizophrenic or just a jerk. To truly believe that Einstein was following him incognito through Vallejo, California…probably schizophrenic.
Smiley's ambivalence of character definition caused a growing incertitude that remained unshakable throughout the novel. Neither did they grow nor did they stagnate as characters because there was no clear outline for them to begin with. Not until the last paragraph did Margaret grow a mental spine and begin to examine her (now) wasted life. She stood by and watched her husband make wild accusations about her Japanese friends and cause one of their deaths. Even that couldn't make her cognizant of what a toxic person her husband was. Not until all was over and done with did the proverbial light bulb in Margaret's head turn on.
I'll probably end up reading more Jane Smiley, but her pages are numbered.
Her husband, Andrew, is surely one of the more egotistical characters I've encountered in literature; I'm uncertain if he was schizophrenic or just a jerk. To truly believe that Einstein was following him incognito through Vallejo, California…probably schizophrenic.
Smiley's ambivalence of character definition caused a growing incertitude that remained unshakable throughout the novel. Neither did they grow nor did they stagnate as characters because there was no clear outline for them to begin with. Not until the last paragraph did Margaret grow a mental spine and begin to examine her (now) wasted life. She stood by and watched her husband make wild accusations about her Japanese friends and cause one of their deaths. Even that couldn't make her cognizant of what a toxic person her husband was. Not until all was over and done with did the proverbial light bulb in Margaret's head turn on.
I'll probably end up reading more Jane Smiley, but her pages are numbered.