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castlelass 's review for:
The Spectator Bird
by Wallace Stegner
Introspective novel about long-term marriage and aging. Protagonist Joe Allston is a retired literary agent who feels he has allowed circumstance, coincidence, and opportunism to govern his life. He and his wife Ruth have retired to Palo Alto, California. As he approaches 70, he looks back on his passive life with regret and bitterness. A postcard from an old acquaintance leads Joe to locate the journal he kept when the couple traveled to Denmark twenty years before, after the tragic death of their only son. He reads the journal to his wife, and as he does, it brings back memories of a time when their marriage seemed in peril. Joe finally discloses to Ruth what happened all those years ago. The reader learns of Joe’s family ties to Denmark and the difficult life of a countess they stayed with during that time.
Set in the 1970’s (and published in 1976), a running refrain is Joe’s discontent with the counterculture movement in which his son took part. Themes include aging, guilt, and regret. The book is structured to operate in two timelines, the present day and, with readings of the journal, flashbacks to the earlier time in Denmark. The main characters are deeply drawn, and the writing is erudite. This is a slow-burning build up to a reveal of one of the few times when Joe took a stand, making a crucial decision. Humor and descriptions of natural phenomena are interspersed throughout. Woven into the Danish saga is a story of eugenics, which may be disturbing to some readers. Recommended to those that enjoy quiet, reflective novels about the human condition or character-driven literary fiction.
Set in the 1970’s (and published in 1976), a running refrain is Joe’s discontent with the counterculture movement in which his son took part. Themes include aging, guilt, and regret. The book is structured to operate in two timelines, the present day and, with readings of the journal, flashbacks to the earlier time in Denmark. The main characters are deeply drawn, and the writing is erudite. This is a slow-burning build up to a reveal of one of the few times when Joe took a stand, making a crucial decision. Humor and descriptions of natural phenomena are interspersed throughout. Woven into the Danish saga is a story of eugenics, which may be disturbing to some readers. Recommended to those that enjoy quiet, reflective novels about the human condition or character-driven literary fiction.