I was a bit uncertain what to expect reading this new novel because on the surface it's somewhat challenging to summarise its plot or understand what its story is really about. But I've loved reading books by Sarah Moss before such as “The Tidal Zone”, “The Fell” and “Ghost Wall” (which I think is a modern masterpiece.) So I trust this author and I'm so glad I took the plunge because this tale is extremely moving and thoughtful. The ending had me in tears because it speaks so powerfully about the challenges of modern life and our uncertain position in the world. In essence, this novel follows a woman named Edith at two distinct points in her life. In one section she's a young woman on the brink of studying at Oxford in the late 1960s. Her mother implores her to go to rural Italy to assist her heavily pregnant sister Lydia who is a ballet dancer that does not want to be having this baby. In another section Edith is in her later years living comfortably in modern day Ireland. She's divorced and has a casual companionable lover. She spends a lot of time with her close friend Meabh who discovers that she has a long-lost half brother. The novel alternates between these two different time periods. What's missing from the story is the middle of Edith's life and this has been purposefully left out to contrast different stages of her development. In doing so it forms a much larger story about belonging, displacement, illegitimate children and the relative amount of space we occupy in the world.
I enjoyed how Edith is a very relatable character who loves reading and feels uncertain about her place within her scattered and dwindling family. Her French-Jewish mother is an imposing figure haunted by the loss of family members in WWII concentration camps. “Maman” rationally reasons a person should be prepared to leave their home at a moment's notice. Edith is very equipped for this as she holds four different passports. Yet she's been searching for a place to live where she can feel established and content. She seems to have found this with a lover in Ireland after the pandemic. Nevertheless, international conflicts mean that people are being forced to migrate and this causes tension in the local area. Edith is drawn into political arguments with those closest to her and she meditates on how people moving between different regions has always been a part of human history. Though this all sounds extremely serious its conveyed in a down to earth way and the narrative has a pleasurable sense of humour to it. I appreciated good-natured jibes the novel takes about insomnia becoming fashionable and the work of George Eliot.
There's a central mystery to the story regarding why Edith is writing this account and its intended recipient. Though there's a definite purpose for her recounting this personal history it seems to unintentionally become a broader exploration of her place in the world where she becomes the heroine of the story. Following her development and meditations on community/family is extremely poignant. Moss also has an excellent turn of phrase and an ability to use metaphorical language which feels fresh. At one point she remarks “The damp had ice on its breath.” There are also potent descriptions of the process of child birth and the process of caring for a newborn. The landscapes and communities of Italy and Ireland are vividly portrayed. It's enjoyable how Edith observes the differing sensibilities of people in these two nations as she is an outsider and she describes her sometimes awkward attempts to integrate into their lives. Again, this novel's conclusion is so powerful that it brings the overall meaning of this story together in an unforgettable way.
