Christine Dwyer Hickey

If I was Esther Freud I'd be hauling Christine Dwyer Hickey's backside to court quicker than you could say 'get your own bloody ideas', for The Narrow Land shares more than a hint of resemblance to Freud's Mr. Mac and Me. Famous painter living in cute house in semi-isolation with artistic wife - check. Beguiling friendship with a lonely, damaged young boy - check. Artist struggling with his artistic mojo - check. Coastal setting - check. Wartime setting - well, half a check. Freud's book is set at the beginning of WW1, whereas Dwyer Hickey's is set a few years after WWII, but still. No wonder there was such an air of familiarisation to this book.

BUT (and Esther please forgive me - I generally love your writing dearly), I think Dwyer Hickey's novel is better by some margin. Why? Well, for starters there it felt like more of a story was developed in The Narrow Land, which is odd given that on paper Freud had a much more exciting real-life drama to play with in her book. I think Freud excels when she's all about brooding landscapes and emotional tension, and it felt like she begrudgingly squeezed an unwanted plot she didn't know what to do with into the last few pages of the book. Also, Dwyer Hickey is just plain terrific with her characterisation in The Narrow Land, particularly in the way she used different characters to bring out the best and worst sides of Hopper's wife in particular, who was drawn out especially well.

Backing up (and I'll set the knife down now Esther), The Narrow Land tells the story of the intertwining relationships between Edward Hopper and his wife Jo and a family renting a house close by on Cape Cod. Socially prickly and jealously protective of her husband, Jo Hopper's relationship with the Kaplan's gets off to to a poor (and unwanted) start, but as an unlikely friendship develops between Jo and a 10 year old German orphaned boy staying with the Kaplan's, the social net of the Kaplan's draws in the Hoppers, throwing a lens upon the Hoppers and their marriage that they eventually can't avoid looking through.

Whether this US novel by an Irish author stands up to scrutiny by American readers more directly familiar with Cape Cod I can't say, but it certainly worked well for me and my imagination.

This novel was a joy to read, and I'll be looking for more of Christine Dwyer Hickey's books in the future.

4.5 stars - Dwyer Hickey's timing is just spot on in this fine novel.… (altro)

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I found the start a bit slow going, but somewhere around the half-way mark I got really interested and was glad I hadn't stopped. I enjoyed the details of this little Italian town before everything changed. The last quarter I could barely put it down. Once I had finished I was haunted by the events and Alec's situation. I wish the ending had made things a bit clearer. There were a lot of hints, but I think I wanted more explanation and tying up of loose ends. Like Anna, I had questions remaining.… (altro)

Slow, interior monologues by Edward Hopper, his wife, “the very boy” (Micha/Michael, a ten year old German refugee) also holidaying on Cape Cod (the Narrow Land) and Michael’s foster mother, which build a haunting portrait exploring (amongst other things) the wait for the creative spark, the guarding of the artist, and the loneliness of being an outsider.

Set in 1950, this is a quiet but powerful novel of loneliness, relationships and the stories we tell, ourselves and others, written with beautiful flowing prose.
Highly recommended if you want a slow read. Slow, interior monologues by Edward Hopper, his wife, “the very boy” (Micha/Michael, a ten year old German refugee) also holidaying on Cape Cod (the Narrow Land) and Michael’s foster mother, which build a haunting portrait exploring (amongst other things) the wait for the creative spark, the guarding of the artist, and the loneliness of being an outsider.

Set in 1950, this is a quiet but powerful novel of loneliness, relationships and the stories we tell, ourselves and others, written with beautiful flowing prose.
Highly recommended if you want a slow read.

The novel won the Walter Scott prize for historical fiction and I thank The Guardian review which brought the book to my attention https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jun/12/fictional-portrait-of-jo-and-edwar...… (altro)