The human condition laid bare in an utterly compelling tour de force of storytelling.
The Narrow Land tells the story of one 1950s summer in Cape Cod in the life of ten-year-old recently orphaned German boy, Michael, who thanks to President Truman’s directive on displaced persons has been adopted by American, Harry Novak and his wife. Slow to settle into his new city lifestyle, recover from his traumatic wartime memories or ‘forget’ his native language, it is hoped that a summer away will be the making of Michael and further the quest to transform him into an all American boy. Michael is sent to spend the summer with the well-heeled principal fundraiser behind the Orphan Fund, Mrs Kaplan, and her family as a playmate for grandson, Richie, at their beachside rental on Cape Cod. But mired in his own grief for his dead military service father, a lonely Richie struggles to make a friend of the self-contained, emotionally damaged, Michael, whom unexpectedly finds an ally in Richie’s enigmatic dying aunt, Katherine. When the two boys meet Edward Hopper and his wife, Josephine Nivision, (referred to as Mr and Mrs Aitch throughout the novel), who are spending their summer away from New York in the hopes of rediscovering the eminent artists creative impetus, Josephine forms a bond with vulnerable Michael.
However, all is not well within the fraught marriage of the Hoppers’ with self-controlled and ill Edward often frustratingly withdrawn and his wife obsessive, selfish and bitterly jealous of his reputation and success. As capricious Josephine is drawn into the world of the young boys she too notices her husband’s interest in the bewitching Katherine Kaplan, fuelling her sense of simmering jealousy at a potential muse. Together with her own sense of injustice and frustration at her own lack of artistic talent it gives rise to Josephine sniping and back-biting at her husband and venting her spleen at the sexist art world to all whom she meets. Michael and Richie each form their own individual relationships with the artist and his wife in a totally different capacity, with Josephine’s ‘thick as thieves’ relationship with Michael and Edward’s unwavering compassion for Richie. As events come to a head within the tempestuous Hopper marriage it coincides with the climax of the summer at the Labour Day fundraiser and what is supposed to be the first celebration of the memory of Richie’s fathers life. But with emotions raw and the summer drawing to a close, past memories impact on present day events with surprising results..
There is something to be said for the power of languid storytelling when it is as shot through with honesty and insight as in The Narrow Land, yet contrary to my expectations Christine Dwyer Hickey infuses her novel with a palpable tension; between husband and wife in the case of the Hoppers’, Michael and the Kaplan’s and Josephine Nivision and the Kaplan women. Not only does the whole novel bristle with crosswinds between characters but for a novel that lacks dramatic action and would typically be described as “quiet”, it packs a hefty punch. Set against the backdrop of the all too recent memories of World War II the novel is a study in the ebb and flow of human emotions as the Kaplan lives intersect with that of the Hoppers’ with profound consequences.
Dwyer Hickey’s prose is mesmerising and her characters are the embodiment of the multifaceted human condition with the flawed and fallible aspects laid bear alongside the more sympathetic redeeming features. Written in the third person, the baton of the narrative perspective moves between ten-year-old Michael and both of the Hoppers’. Full of insight on the concept of the American dream, regret and longing, the novel also examines the conflict between personal ideals and artistic integrity within a marriage. With the reader privy to the intimate thoughts of the three lead protagonists and Dwyer Hickey in possession of an extraordinary ability to put into words the whole gamut of human emotions, The Narrow Land is a terrifically powerful portrait of one summer. That not one character is unchanged by the events of their summer in Cape Cod is testament to the impact of a moving and compelling drama.
Prior to reading I knew little about Edward Hopper and even less about Christine Dwyer Hickey, whose work I had never had the privilege of reading, and whilst I am content with the authors fictional portrayal of the Hopper marriage, I certainly intend to read more of the talented Dwyer Hickey.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
However, all is not well within the fraught marriage of the Hoppers’ with self-controlled and ill Edward often frustratingly withdrawn and his wife obsessive, selfish and bitterly jealous of his reputation and success. As capricious Josephine is drawn into the world of the young boys she too notices her husband’s interest in the bewitching Katherine Kaplan, fuelling her sense of simmering jealousy at a potential muse. Together with her own sense of injustice and frustration at her own lack of artistic talent it gives rise to Josephine sniping and back-biting at her husband and venting her spleen at the sexist art world to all whom she meets. Michael and Richie each form their own individual relationships with the artist and his wife in a totally different capacity, with Josephine’s ‘thick as thieves’ relationship with Michael and Edward’s unwavering compassion for Richie. As events come to a head within the tempestuous Hopper marriage it coincides with the climax of the summer at the Labour Day fundraiser and what is supposed to be the first celebration of the memory of Richie’s fathers life. But with emotions raw and the summer drawing to a close, past memories impact on present day events with surprising results..
There is something to be said for the power of languid storytelling when it is as shot through with honesty and insight as in The Narrow Land, yet contrary to my expectations Christine Dwyer Hickey infuses her novel with a palpable tension; between husband and wife in the case of the Hoppers’, Michael and the Kaplan’s and Josephine Nivision and the Kaplan women. Not only does the whole novel bristle with crosswinds between characters but for a novel that lacks dramatic action and would typically be described as “quiet”, it packs a hefty punch. Set against the backdrop of the all too recent memories of World War II the novel is a study in the ebb and flow of human emotions as the Kaplan lives intersect with that of the Hoppers’ with profound consequences.
Dwyer Hickey’s prose is mesmerising and her characters are the embodiment of the multifaceted human condition with the flawed and fallible aspects laid bear alongside the more sympathetic redeeming features. Written in the third person, the baton of the narrative perspective moves between ten-year-old Michael and both of the Hoppers’. Full of insight on the concept of the American dream, regret and longing, the novel also examines the conflict between personal ideals and artistic integrity within a marriage. With the reader privy to the intimate thoughts of the three lead protagonists and Dwyer Hickey in possession of an extraordinary ability to put into words the whole gamut of human emotions, The Narrow Land is a terrifically powerful portrait of one summer. That not one character is unchanged by the events of their summer in Cape Cod is testament to the impact of a moving and compelling drama.
Prior to reading I knew little about Edward Hopper and even less about Christine Dwyer Hickey, whose work I had never had the privilege of reading, and whilst I am content with the authors fictional portrayal of the Hopper marriage, I certainly intend to read more of the talented Dwyer Hickey.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.