I am guilty again of
judging a book by its cover, but I will not apologize for this occasional slip
– especially when the novel offers a dramatic and heart-wrenching story of
abandoned women. The Guineveres by Sarah Domet tells the story of four young girls –
all named Guinevere -- abandoned by their families at a convent. The structure of the novel is also
interesting. One of the Guineveres
narrates, and Domet has interspersed brief lives of sometimes obscure saints,
which prefigure some crises facing one or more of the young ladies. Each Guinevere also takes a turn narrating
her own story in a chapter titled with her name and “Revival.” At first, I thought I was headed into a
tragedy, but when I realized the story describes the courage, empathy, and
friendship of the four girls, I knew I would not regret the choice of this
debut novel. Domet has a Ph.D. in
literature and writing from the University of Cincinnati, and she has also
written a non-fiction book on writing.
The girls were
nicknamed Gwen, Ginny, Win, and the narrator, Vere. I was afraid my cynicism would take over, as
I predicted the story would be another horrific tale of abuse, but it was
not. The nuns who supervised the girls
did so with tenderness and strict discipline, and only the most egregious transgressions
would merit a stay in the “Penance Room” – a time-out space for teens. The usual punishment ranged from loss of
dessert at dinner up to service hours in the hospital and loss of recreational
periods.
Having spent a year
at a boarding school in upstate New York, I could empathize with the
disappointment the girls felt when days after weeks after years went by with no
contact with their families. I only
suffered a few days without mail. Domet
writes, “‘It doesn’t look like anything has arrived this week, dear.’ She patted the top of Ginny’s head. ‘I’m sorry.’ // ‘For me?’ I asked. I already knew the answer, and Sister Fran
didn’t even pretend. // ‘Not this time,’ she said. ‘Perhaps you should write another letter,’
she suggested, then placed her arm warmly around my shoulder. ‘Better to give than receive. That’s an excellent policy to remember, don’t
you think? Something therapeutic in
letter writing, like baring one’s soul.
The benefit is yours just by writing it’ (127). My mother saved every letter I wrote that
winter, and she recently turned them over to me. What a window into that year!
The girls frequently
tried to hold onto the fragile memories of the life they lost. Domet writes, “I began to imagine a story
about my father’s new life in a different city: a wife and a kid, a small house
just like ours. I wondered if he looked
in one his new kid like he used to look in on me at night when he thought I was
asleep. I’d keep my eyes closed, playing
possum, because if I did, he’d stand there for a while, and I could feel the
weight of his shadow above me. If he
found me awake, he’d simply shut the door, his footsteps fading down the
hallway” (141).
Sarah Domet’s first
novel, The Guineveres, is a sure
winner. This novel can take you back to
your grade school experiences – minus the paddle and the pathos you also might
have experienced. 5 stars.
--Chiron, 11/4/16
No comments:
Post a Comment