Re-inventing oneself…
No, non sono d’accordo con Masolino D’Amico, che pure rispetto moltissimo come critico di letteratura anglofona. Non è vero che la “ragnatela di terrore” che Dunne costruisce magistralmente, venga poi distrutta da un finale inconsistente e deludente in cui il colpevole non viene palesemente punito.
E’ invece un finale aperto quello del romanzo, che a me piace, è libero, lascia intuire che ci sarà eccome una punizione, ben più terribile di quella della giustizia dei tribunali. La punizione di un figlio che un padre(!), con la sua miseria e meschinità, ha corrotto per sempre.
La recensione completa di D’Amico è su Tuttolibri, in La Stampa di del 27 Maggio 2010.
From the back-cover
“Lynda Graham has been lucky. She’s happily married, with two wonderful children and a beautiful home in one of the most affluent suburbs of Dublin. Her world feels safe and uncomplicated; one she now takes for granted. That until Jon, a friend of Ciaran’s from university-handsome, charming and clever- inveigles his way into their lives. There’s something about Jon that Lynda finds unnerving-he is almost too perfect. And her instinct is right: Jon’s arrival sets in motion a spiral of events that contributes to the gradual disintegration of all Lynda holds dear. And she knows that she must do whatever it takes to protect the most precious thing she has-her family”
Veniamo a noi ora, alla mia reazione a questa storia.
It’s true, much is borrowed from soap stories, but Catherine is able to tell all the events in an involving and plausible way. Too many ingredients? May be, but they are melted in a very skilful and pleasant way. I do not know what to say in addition to what the author herself writes in her Letter to the Reader and in the discussion points she offers for the Book Club.
The aspect I most identify myself with in this particular moment of my life (Retirement!) is the “urgency” to reinvent myself, as Lynda is unfortunately obliged to do as consequence of her whole life, personal as well as family’s.
Lynda’s loneliness is a focal point of such research. No friends to advise her, to help, to give a hand. She is alone to face her problems, her life, her personal “pursuit of happiness”.
I strongly recommend reading Catherine’s A Letter from the author, in the appendix. It is a sort of guide to discover the main challenging points of the story: memories, family ties, crisis, parents’ role, parent-children relationship and much more.
Affascinailtuocuore 