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Recent reads: The Dutch House, Ann Patchett

September 2, 2020 by Gill Leave a Comment

A brilliant examination of so many things. The way a child is shaped by other people, and the people who love us most of all, for good or ill. The strength of other people’s expectations. The pressures on men as well as women to slip into a desired role. The ways in which, rebelling, we fall into line. The permanent revolution which is identity. There’s a lovely rhythm to this book in backwards/ forwards motion, and it’s a masterclass in bringing every story arc home to land.
Yes, there are things which aren’t explained and which we’d love to know; but that’s a mark of the truthfulness of this book. For example, I’d love to hear Norma’s account of her childhood; but that would be another book, and the whole couldn’t be so tight. In scale and scope, suggesting reality far beyond the frame, this was just right for me.

Filed Under: Literary Fiction

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