Deep intoThe Dutch House, Danny Conroy and his family attend a school production ofThe Nutcracker.
The lights come up; he sees the grand setting for his horrific childhood, recreated for performance.
In truth… any generic configuration of luxury from a distance felt like a window on my youth.
Credit: Harper
Thats how far away youth was.
Patchett, nearing 30 years as a published novelist, has settled into an enviable groove.
This marks a rare foray into first-person prose for Patchett, and her focus on perspective proves rigorous.
Danny is the books sole narrator, and his voice contains a nostalgic storybook quality.
Best isThe Dutch Houses first section, which builds toward the Conroy patriarchs death.
(Maeve, the eldest, is already studying at Barnard College when their father dies.)
What did we ever know about Andrea?
The truth is I have plenty of memories of her being perfectly decent.
I just choose to dwell on the ones in which she wasnt.
That tension propelsThe Dutch Houses latter half.
Danny narrates, Wed made a fetish out of our misfortune, fallen in love with it.
As Patchett glides through the years, her philosophical inquiry intensifies while her narrative peters out.
Maeve, held in Dannys image, is kept at a distance.
Dramatic incident is minimal.
Even one pivotal characters late re-emergence is handled quietly, delicately, less impactful on story than mood.
So not quite generic luxury, as Danny had called it in the haze of memory.
Its something far stranger something indelible.B+
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